Tragedy Rewritten
by HaNaJaK
Summary: After Sasuke's defeat of Orochimaru, Naruto gets a second chance to go after him. Danzo has different ideas. But all is not lost, especially when a depressed Naruto meets a very familiar baby kitten. From this single event, the fate of many in the shinobi world will be rewritten, and a whole new story will be born. Inspired by Not Sick by Ser Serendipity. NO YAOI.
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, my very first Naruto fanfiction, and also my very first entry on this site. I. Am. Nervous. And excited. Before I say anything else, I'd like to give special mention to two fanfics: Not Sick by Ser Serendipity and Falling Up to Heaven by R.G. Waffles. I mention them for two reasons**

**1) They gave me courage to actually put pen to paper on this weird idea of mine.**

**2) They gave me courage to actually post the thing on this site.**

**Both of these stories are wild rides and I loved every minute of them. **

**Seriously, if it weren't for these fics, this would not be here. For better or worse. **

**Now then, after reading the summary you might be a little skeptical about this story. So I'm going to clear a few things up.**

**1) This is NOT YAOI.**

**2) Although most of this story will revolve around a very cute kitty, this fic will be seriously written. Meaning I will pay attention to character, grammar, spelling, and there will be a plot. A real plot. **

**3) Naruto himself will seem out of character at times. (All characters will at some point I guess) However all things have an explanation so I ask that you please have patience and stick with me. If everything's revealed all at once, the story will be pretty boring right?**

**4) I use bold and italics to stress words instead of normal italics. It's because I don't really see italics well. Whole sentences or paragraphs of italics are okay, but single words in a sentence are hard for me to pick up. I hope it's not too jarring to read. **

**Well, that's that. On with the story! **

* * *

**Prologue**

Naruto Uzumaki should have never met Danzō Shimura.

And he would not have, not at so soon a time anyway, save for some…unavoidable circumstances.

This was Danzō's own realisation, as he stood outside the Hokage's belying plain wooden door, listening to a conversation that made his blood boil.

It was all information he already knew. The death of long-time foe of Konoha, Orochimaru, at the hands of his own student Uchiha Sasuke.

Ironic? Yes.

Poetically just? Most definitely.

When the news came, it was almost enough to make Danzō laugh. A cold, mirthless, mocking laugh, but a laugh. But a laugh that almost came is still nothing. So silence was Danzō's proper response to the news. A few hours of contemplative silence, in the cold, dank underbelly of Konoha's roots… Yes, this was news he already knew – had already anticipated.

For you see, Shimura Danzō, while called many things, was never once given the title of a stupid man. He had anticipated this long before, though were he to give an exact date, he would call to mind his nights of…negotiation…with Uchiha Itachi.

Danzō, once again, almost smiled. There was a comrade. There was a shinobi faultless in his devotion to the village. One who, when but a child, knew the true worth and ruthless price of peace, and was willing to pay it in his own family's blood. There was a man who Danzō…had once thought he could trust.

True, Itachi's plan was flawless, as well as woefully easy to put together once one had all the pieces. Or simply knew the true depths of Itachi's love.

On that night of blood, Itachi had slayed his own heart, his very soul, as he tormented, traumatised, and ultimately turned his beloved little brother on the path of revenge. True, he knew the Third Hokage, Danzō, the elders, or himself would never divulge the secret truth of that night, but Itachi was always a bit paranoid. As any good shinobi should be.

Itachi had given his brother a focus, a further protective measure against his finding the truth, as he turned Sasuke's vengeful gaze from the village onto himself. He prepared to take on Sasuke's hatred, to die by his hand, and in exchange, he would give him power; power to protect Konoha (to which an ignorant Sasuke would return) against the threats of Akatsuki, and further, against Uchiha Madara himself.

And of course, being hailed as a hero and restoring honour and prestige to the Uchiha name was a nice little bonus.

A flawless plan. Given the information that Itachi had at his disposal, Danzō himself could not have come up with one better. But there was a crucial piece that Itachi was missing, and it is this that finally moved Danzō to act.

Madara **_knew_**. And Itachi did not know it.

He might have a hunch. He might suspect. But he did not **_know_.**

But Danzō had **_seen_**, on that same blood-soaked night. After the disbandment (hmph, disbandment. Even with his nostrils filled with the stench of the freshly spilled blood of a massacre, Hiruzen was still so soft. The fool.) After the **_disbandment_** of Root at the word of Hiruzen, he had seen.

A plant. With jaws that opened and closed, and something disturbingly man-shaped in the centre – it dug, no **_phased_** out of the ground under the corpses of the clan, and returned to the earth, taking them with it.

No matter what he thought of Hiruzen, Danzō could not blame the man for missing it – it was only the slightest twitch in Shisui's freshly implanted Sharingan that made him turn his head in time.

_What was it?_ As Danzō looked, it looked like nothing more than a plant, until it moved, and swallowed whole corpses between its jaws. And its chakra… Danzō could not describe it. It did not stay still long enough for him to do so. Instead, it continuously appeared and disappeared, keeping in rhythm with the creature's descent and ascent out of the ground. For its size, it was belyingly fast.

Danzō tracked it, only half listening to Hiruzen's ramblings by this point, Shisui's Sharingan straining to capture a clear picture of its chakra. And then, it stayed just a bit longer above ground, seemingly struggling with two Uchihas at once. A parent and child.

Danzō focused on it now, completely ignoring the Hokage, and finally saw its chakra pulse as, with an especially grotesque swallowing motion, the parent and child disappeared.

Though less exaggerated, he swallowed too. And left Hiruzen shortly after. This plant had to die. Its body would be autopsied for information, and then destroyed by Root's most thorough methods. This was his only solution for dealing with an entity that had the same type of chakra as that of his right arm. Hashirama's chakra.

He could not let it go free.

So he followed, with stealth that should have eluded a man of his age, but instead was almost on par with the Hokage's. The plant had stopped its collecting, and was now sliding through the earth; disturbing not a single blade of grass it travelled around a house that would no more know the joys of living occupants walking, talking, arguing and laughing through its halls.

Danzō followed it to the backyard – the lady of the house had kept a beautiful garden – where it stopped in the middle of a white sand walkway, the stones of the path not giving it discomfort in the least as it waited placidly on top of the somewhat sharp edges.

It waited. Danzō waited. It was silent. Danzō blinked, and the air moved. It twisted, with a whirring, almost mechanical noise that was wholly unnatural, out of a small black hole that soon spit out a swirling flush of black and red, and at the last moment…orange?

Danzō stared at the new arrival. He had swirled out of the black hole that turned out to be the single eye of an orange mask, which was painted with black smears too loose to be called stripes. A mess of shaggy black hair fell below his shoulders. Danzō steadied his breathing, even as his heartbeat rose. A Teleportation Jutsu? He had never seen one like it.

The moon re-emerged. It spilled its pale silver light onto the entire garden, painting a scene that would have moved Danzō if he was any bit of a romantic. He was not, and was a shinobi besides, so he only shifted slightly so as not to be caught in the sudden splay of light.

He looked at the two arrivals before him again, and where he had been about to curse the light, he was suddenly grateful for it. He could now see the peculiar man-shaped centre of the plant, and more importantly, could read its lips with his Sharingan.

And within a few seconds of conversation, he balked. It **_knew_**. It had been spying on him and Hiruzen that night, or perhaps it had overheard. Or it had been there from the very beginning. It did not matter. Danzō, with all the noise of a falling feather, slid a kunai from his left sleeve into his hand.

The masked figure turned its head so sharply that Danzō, who had not blinked, still missed the movement. And all of a sudden, he was staring into a crimson eye, made only brighter by the pale veil of moonlight. A single shard of killing intent, so cold, so potent, shot straight through his heart, and he faltered by where he was hidden in the shadow of the house's engawa. The whirring sound seemed to roar in his ears, and when he recovered and looked up, both the masked figure and the plant were gone.

Later, he would learn that not all the Uchiha who were killed that night were accounted for, notwithstanding the ones he himself had taken for his own uses.

Later, he would learn that none of them had an ability like what he had seen that night.

He would sit in his large, grey office with its soundproofed, steel enforced, and chakra strengthened walls, and he would think, and he would conclude that the Uchiha he saw that night, the third of the now almost-extinct clan, was Itachi's accomplice. For, no matter how skilled Itachi was, how impressive, even he could not have gone up against the entire Konoha police force on his own.

Years later, through Itachi's own reports sent from within Akatsuki, he would learn the identity of the mask. And mere minutes after that, he would conclude that Itachi had made a tragically huge oversight. One he intended to correct.

And so, it all led back to the Hokage's belyingly plain wooden door. Danzō listened, his cane shaking with fury, as they in excitement and years-old determination made plans to find Sasuke. By first finding Itachi.

No, that would not do.

Itachi would let Sasuke kill him. Itachi would give him power. Itachi would die. And then Madara would tell Sasuke the truth. And with Itachi dead, Konoha would be defenceless against his wrath.

This battle could not happen. Not yet. Danzō had absolutely no faith that these **_children_** would be able to find Itachi, let alone do anything once they did. If Tsunade honestly thought that they could **_capture_** him – she was more of a wispy-eyed indulgent fool than Hiruzen ever was.

It was time for him to make his presence known.

He opened the door. The first thing that filled his vision was a burst of yellow hair as bright as sunlight. The hair turned, and beneath it was a clueless blue gaze with a faint hint of surprise. But beyond that, shining bright as his hair, was hope and an unquenchable determination.

Danzō would slaughter those two things before this day was done.

Naruto Uzumaki should have never met Danzō Shimura.

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**A/N: All right, prologue done! It's just getting started. For those who read, thanks for taking the time. Whether you liked or hated it, let me know. Or if there's something off with the premise based on a miniscule detail that I missed, let me know too. I'm too far into this story to change it, but I'll tuck it away for future reference.**

**Also, I hope that this has convinced you that this story will be seriously written, and to come along with me for the ride.**

**PS The system separated a few words, like the 'o' from Danzo. I tried to fix all of them, but I apologize for any that I missed.**

**Edit (15/02/15): A few minute changes have been made. Nothing major, so no need to read it again if you've read it before. I fixed some more 'Danz o's' and hopefully got them all this time. **

**HaNaJaK out.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Naruto stared. The old man with sharp eyes and an X on his chin slowly, calmly, closed the door behind him and walked in the same manner up to Tsunade's desk, his cane thunking lightly with each step.

"Tsunade," he said, in a voice so dry Naruto could hear sand. He also heard familiarity. This guy…was a friend of Baa-chan's?

"Danzō." No, not a friend, Naruto quickly concluded. Even when he annoyed her, Baa-chan never sounded like she **_seriously_** wanted to punch him, repeatedly, into the rock faces of the past Hokage. "Why are you here?" Danzō did not reply. Tsunade scowled. "I knew you were listening outside the door. I was waiting for you to come in and disrupt –"

"I am a member of the council and as such have the right to speak of my disagreements, if I feel I must."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, but before she could reply, Sakura intervened, pointing a shaking finger at him.

"You," she said, her eyes wide in what Naruto had come to dub as Sakura Rage Level 2, with the highest being 1. "**_You_**," scratch that, it was Sakura Rage Level 1.5 … 1.4 … "**_You're_** Shimura Danzō, Sai's shishou –"

"I prefer sensei, though that is also a misnomer," was the languid interruption. Sakura went on, either ignoring or not hearing.

"You're the one who ordered Sai to assassinate Sasuke-kun," she said with a voice as quiet as death.

Danzō regarded her for a moment before nodding silently. "I am."

There was movement, the sound of a fist connecting with flesh, and the wind from the rapid displacement of air.

Naruto's eyes were crimson, the thickened whisker marks on his cheeks accentuating his elongated canines. His lips were twisted into a snarl, and he growled – the sound of an animal – as he stared up into the stern face of Jiraiya. His fist was caught in both of his sensei's hands.

"Calm down, Naruto," he said quietly, standing between his student and Danzō, who stared blandly at the scene as though unperturbed by it.

When Naruto spoke, his voice was the growl of an enraged fox. "But Ero-sennin –"

"Calm. Down." Naruto stared up at him, his breathing heavy, his teeth gnashing with the urge to rip into Danzō's neck. But, slowly, keeping his eyes on Jiraiya's face, he calmed down, and his breathing evened. He blinked, and his eyes returned to their natural blue.

Feeling suddenly tired, he lowered his fist with a mumbled apology. Jiraiya excused him with a warm pat on the head, which Naruto brushed off with a pout.

Sakura released a small breath, feeling strangely calmed by watching the exchange.

Tsunade threw a small smirk Jiraiya's way, to which the Toad Sage squared his shoulders with just a bit of his kabuki-inspired pomp.

Danzō cleared his throat.

The warming atmosphere was cold once again.

"Haruno Sakura, was it?" The girl stiffened at being addressed, her green eyes wary. "You refer to him affectionately, but Uchiha Sasuke was, at the time, a defected Konoha ninja who joined Orochimaru of his own volition. Therefore, I did what I thought was necessary.

"However," he said quickly as she opened her mouth, a flash of danger in her eyes, "It is different, now that he has killed one of Konoha's greatest enemies. I applaud him." That simple statement left everyone's jaws on the floor. Tsunade physically reeled back, her eyes widening.

"What?" she whispered.

"I applaud him. And I wish to see him brought back to Konoha and fighting on our side."

Tsunade stared, her honey-brown eyes quivering slightly. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. Hell, she had half a mind to have Jiraiya hold the man down while she took blood samples to prove he was not an imposter.

"What are you up to?" she asked bluntly, staring so hard one thought she might actually activate the Byakugan through willpower alone.

Danzō maintained a perfectly bland expression. "I told you," he said with an equally unremarkable tone. "I wish to voice a disagreement."

"What do you mean?" It was Naruto this time. He peered at Danzō, his eyes squinting in confusion. "You just said you want to bring Sasuke back." Unlike the more cunning of his peers, Naruto had neither aptitude nor understanding of duplicity.

Danzō turned slowly to look him in the eyes. "I do. But here is my disagreement. I do not think you should go on the mission to retrieve him."

The room fell into shocked silence once again. Naruto, after his recent episode with the Kyuubi's chakra, quickly found himself rising to those levels of anger again.

"What?" his shoulders were shaking; Jiraiya rested his large hands there, effectively keeping Naruto's anger under Kyūbi levels. "Why?!" He blinked, as a sudden thought came to him. "Who are you anyway? Who the hell do you think you are, you old bastard?"

Ignoring the disrespect, Danzō responded calmly. "I am a member of Konoha's council. A subsidiary advisor to the Hokage, if you will." Naruto didn't understand any of that. Danzō knew it.

"A subordinate," Sakura whispered helpfully into his ear.

"Oh," said Naruto, blinking plainly. "Then it's only your opinion. Baa-chan already said I'm going, you can't –"

"It's not that simple," Danzō said, some of his patience leaving with a sigh.

"But –"

"Naruto."

"But Baa-chan –"

"Naruto, shut up for a minute." It was not said unkindly, and Naruto closed his mouth, looking curiously at Tsunade as she leaned forward, elbows on her desk, fingers laced beneath her chin.

"Talk Danzō. Why do you think Naruto shouldn't go?"

"With all respect, Hokage-sama (it was the first time since he had entered that he used her proper title. Tsunade dreaded what was coming) I would like to hear the reasons why you think he should go, so I can see if any of my arguments are invalid."

It was always like this with him, Tsunade thought as she clipped her teeth together. To seem so willing, so helpful, only to come in later and devastate every word she spoke, every idea she put forward. She had no doubt it was his plan again today. But, as focused as he seemed on her, she was not his target.

"Jiraiya, take Naruto and Sakura out –"

"I would have them stay, Tsunade, if that is all right with you."

"Danzō –"

"The boy wants to become Hokage, yes? It is a bad sign that he knows next to nothing about the council. About our roles…"

"As if you actually believe he'll become Hokage!" Tsunade laughed.

"I scrutinize him, but then, I do so with all candidates. I did so with you."

"And you're still doing it," Tsunade said between teeth pressed together in a dangerous smile. Danzō stayed silent. The two teenagers looked on with interest – and with their feet rooted to the floor. They would not go anywhere, Tsunade knew. Not without a long bout of arguing that she just did not have the patience for.

"Very well," she said, leaning back in her chair. "Naruto was one of the group sent out to retrieve Sasuke 3 years ago."

"A mission that ended in failure."

Tsunade grit her teeth for a moment before moving on. "Since that failure he has vowed to improve, and spent three years training vigorously to that effect. He has recently created a brand new jutsu with dare I say Kage level power and effects that have never before been seen by the shinobi world." Her voice rose with each word, as Naruto's eyes widened, the blues sparkling. Jiraiya gave his shoulders a little squeeze out of his own pride.

"With this jutsu," Tsunade continued, "he took down an S-ranked missing nin with one shot. He does not lack in power and his strategies, though a bit reckless at times, are unique, creative and bold. He has more than enough qualifications, but above that," she leaned forward, her eyes alight with fire, "this is **_HIS_** mission. For all he has been through, for all the blood, sweat and tears he has shed, he is the one with all the **_right_** to go after Sasuke. And no one, not you, not even me, has any claim, or any right, to tell him not to go!"

"Baa-chan…" Naruto whispered.

Danzō nodded. "Quite emotional, Tsunade. I expected nothing less," he said so smoothly, his voice like the silkiest cream. Naruto shuddered. Guys who spoke like that usually did not have good things to say. "I see now that there is no flaw in my argument."

"What?" Tsunade demanded.

"Like I said before. The retrieval mission three years ago ended in failure. Since then, Naruto (Naruto grit his teeth – Danzō had said his name as though it was something to be thrown away – a waste of his time) has trained for three years with Lord Jiraiya, Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku. He returned, and went after Sasuke again. Tell me Tsunade, since you left that part out, what were the results of **_that_** mission?"

She should have fought. Even if Naruto did not want to go, she should have fought and thrown him out with her own hands if she had to. She could not look at him, as she gave her answer.

"A failure."

Danzō nodded silently. Solemnly. Tsunade hated him. "He defeated an S-ranked missing nin. I hope that Kakashi this time would answer this, seeing as he has faced both in battle. Was that missing nin, Kakuzu, anywhere on par with Itachi's level?"

The room turned as Kakashi suddenly appeared, crouched in the window behind the Hokage's chair, the lazy expression that was usually on his face nowhere in sight. He silently handed over a sheet of paper to Tsunade, who read while he gave his answer.

"Nowhere on par." And it was the truth. He had landed some good hits on Kakuzu. He had been knocked into a coma only a few seconds after looking Itachi in the eye.

"Of course. There are different levels to the members of Akatsuki after all. They are not all a bunch of Itachis."

"What are you getting at Danzō?" Tsunade clipped.

"Let me say it like this. Jiraiya himself had an encounter with Itachi **_and_** his partner Kisame three years ago. There was no battle to speak of. Why? I cannot imagine Lord Jiraiya backing down, so I imagine Itachi was the one to retreat. Uchiha Itachi **_retreated_**. Meaning he at least found Lord Jiraiya to be his equal." Naruto barely felt Jiraiya's hands on his shoulders. He was starting to become lightheaded, and was sweating in strange places. This man…his words…

Danzō nodded to the paper Tsunade had in her hands. "Tell me, are the entire group of shinobi on that paper capable of capturing Lord Jiraiya? And if they are, will they still have enough energy left to successfully confront Sasuke? After all, I doubt Itachi will be complacent. And I'm sure you have not forgotten that Sasuke is now more powerful than Orochimaru."

"That's not fair!" Sakura finally spoke, her knuckles turning white from the way she had been clenching her fists for the past few minutes. "That comparison isn't – if we work together we can –!"

"Then would you like to try it?" Danzō responded coolly. It took Sakura only one glance at the Toad Sage to send a small tremor through her body. She had fought Sasori. And she was almost killed a shameful number of times. She had to give all of herself and more, and even then she had to rely so heavily on Chiyo Baa-sama.

Danzō glared at the paper in Tsunade's tightening fingers. "You send four Chūnin, two Jōnin, one Anbu and one Genin on this mission, Tsunade, and you will have a repeat of the failure of three years ago," Danzō finished with a decisive thunk of his cane.

A horrible silence followed his speech. Naruto looked to Tsunade, who was glaring at the paper in her hands, not seeing it.

Finally, she turned her eyes sharply to the old man. "What do you suggest then?"

"Baa-chan!"

"Myself." Once again, Tsunade stared in speechless silence. "Myself, in place of the Jinchūriki."

Tsunade finally stood like a swelling tide, her chair wheeling back and hitting one of Kakashi's knees with a soft thud.

"Are you mad?" she asked, softly and plainly, her eyes seeming to truly search for signs of dementia.

"No," was the levelly returned response, "I have taken part in the First and Third Great Ninja Wars. I have decades of experience in retrieval and capture type missions, with a success record that would put any combination of Jōnin in this village to shame. And as to my skills in combat, I am sure you and Lord Jiraiya have not forgotten that spar between myself and Hiruzen?"

Naruto felt Ero-sennin's hands tighten on his shoulders. His stomach was slowly filling with a cold, heavy feeling, something that was foreign to him. The room disappeared for a moment; he and Sasuke were children again, Sasuke's back reaching farther and farther away, and Naruto stumbling, tripping, screaming…crying…all in an effort to reach him. A vain effort…

Danzō stepped forward, thunking his cane authoritatively. "Excluding Lord Jiraiya and yourself, I am the very best shinobi this village has to offer at the moment. I should think you would be grateful to have me offer my services, Tsunade. As you rightly said, I have not been on a mission in quite a while."

He bowed his head deferentially as he said this, though his shoulders stiffened in the slightest when he heard Tsunade's knuckles cracking.

"You … are right, Danzō," she said at last, and Danzō looked up, only decades of war-hardened experience enabling him to hide his surprise. "I did not expect this, from you of all people, but if you wish to go I would have to be a fool to stop you. Your skills would be a valuable asset."

"Thank you, Tsunada-sama –"

"You and Naruto together would be more than enough."

"Baa-chan!" the coldness and heaviness lifted from Naruto's stomach, as he turned new eyes on his Hokage.

"Tsunade-shishou," Sakura whispered in relief.

"Tsunade, I must reject –"

"What?" said Tsunade with a hint of such beguiling innocence that the whole of Konoha's male population would have swooned. "You are both powerful shinobi. You will be the brains, Naruto will be the heart. The perfect combination to go up against the Uchihas."

"Tsunade-sama –!" Danzō thunked his cane, "The Jinchūriki –"

"Naruto," the reply came through gritted teeth. "His name is Naruto."

Danzō, knowing it left no room for discussion, quickly dropped the argument. A strategic surrender to make room for an overwhelming victory. He still had a final trump card to play.

"I would keep the rest of Kakashi's team," Danzō began, "Team 8 are powerful trackers, but also quite adept at capture methods. The Hyūga to cut off all use of chakra and jutsus, the Inuzuka with strong and fast incapacitating taijutsu, and the Aburame with chakravorous insects and a special immunity to all genjutsu. The two Jōnin do not need me to boast their skills. Lastly, a powerful medic-nin and taijutsu user, and a member of the Anbu."

_You mean Anbu Root you bastard_, Tsunade hissed in her mind. _Your own personal Division that the Third Hokage __**disbanded**__._

"I will happily go with this team." Tsunade waited for the bomb. "The Jinchū – Naruto, however, will just make things overcrowded, slow, and most of all dangerous."

While the others angered her, Danzō's last word caught Tsunade's attention. "Why dangerous? What claim do you have for –?" She realized her mistake too late. Danzō smiled then, a crooked, victorious smile that made Tsunade wish she had never asked.

"The Kyūbi," was the short, simple reply.

Though her prudence came too late last time, Tsunade was quick with a remedy to her foul.

"Naruto has not had a Kyūbi related rampage since –"

"The last time he went after Sasuke Uchiha," Danzō stated flatly.

Tsunade did not dare wince, though the same could not be said for her favourite jinchūriki. She would not let Danzō win on this. Not on this. She had already made her gamble when Danzō walked through that door, had placed her bets when she allowed Naruto and Sakura to stay. She could **_not_** lose this.

Naruto's life was on the line.

"That was in the past, Danzō," she said, struggling to keep her voice level, struggling to keep her palms from denting the polished hard oak of her desk – ah, well, too late for that.

"Naruto has **_grown_**. He created the Rasenshuriken, an unprecedented technique, the completed form of a jutsu that even the Fourth Hokage could not finish, all so that he would not have to rely on the Kyūbi's power."

"True," Danzō lightly agreed. "However, simply because he refuses to rely on it, does not mean he can control it. Did he not, after all, release just a bit of it in this office today?"

"For this mission –"

"Tsunade." Danzō sighed, having the audacity to sound tired of Tsunade's words. "This mission is precisely the reason I am bringing this up. The boy may be fine on other missions. But for all missions involving Uchiha Sasuke after his defection, the Kyūbi's chakra has been let loose far beyond Naruto's ability to control. We almost lost Lord Jiraiya to this – weakness – of his, and in the most recent incident, we almost lost one of our finest growing kunoichi."

Tsunade was speechless, her mind buzzing. How did he know all this? Jiraiya had always told her to be wary of Danzō, but this level of espionage was…stunning to say the least. How much did this old man really know? And could she really trust him to this mission?

No. She could not. She had no concrete evidence to his duplicity, nothing that he would not and could not simply brush off as 'doing what was best for Konoha'. But she was not stupid. Danzō willingly volunteering himself for a mission under her authority? Impossible. And even if he wanted to go purely for the sake of (Tsunade stifled a laugh) 'helping out', why was he only coming out now? Why not earlier, when she had dispatched the Nijū Shōtai? Or even before that, when Sabaku no Gaara was kidnapped?

And why so determined not to let Naruto participate? Was it really all because of the Kyūbi?

"I realise," Danzō was saying, not aware of Tsunade's introspection, "You intend to use (here he swallowed just a bit more excess saliva than he should have. Tsunade raised an eyebrow) Captain Yamato's Mokuton for the very purpose of controlling Naruto should he enter into an uncontrolled state. You might have…other measures in place as well." His eyes flickered briefly to Tsunade's un-necklaced neck before continuing. "But all these measures take time, and in the heat of battle, or in this case of capture, time is not a friend. The distraction a Kyūbi outburst would create to those members of our own team unfamiliar with the effects. The time it would take for Yamato's Mokuton to restrain him. Do you think Itachi is above using such things to his advantage? Better yet," and he threw a cursory glance to Naruto, whose face was of unhealthy pallor, "instigating those conditions himself to aid his own escape? Or perhaps even reversing the situation. After all, Itachi's target as a member of Akatsuki has always been Naruto." He drew out the name, tasting it, savouring the slow, systematic defeat of its owner.

"**_Naruto_**," he tasted the name again, "after all, hates the man almost as much as Sasuke, and him being the reason Sasuke left, well, it would take almost nothing at all on Itachi's part to rile him."

Danzō stopped there. He had made all his points, logically laid out all of his arguments. Despite the bitterness of his private thoughts, he knew Tsunade was not a fool. And soft-hearted though she was, by the way her head was slightly bowed and her eyes glared at him yet through him; he knew that she could follow logic. She trusted logic. She knew, as Hokage, that logic ultimately had to win out against emotion.

"I will voice my proposition one last time," Danzō did not need to. Tsunade remembered perfectly. "I will take Naruto's place on this mission, and submit myself and my skills fully to the Hokage and this village in the capture of the two Uchiha brothers. In exchange, Naruto will stay in the village. He will not participate. Those are my terms, Tsunade –"

"I know already!" she finally snapped. Danzō's eyebrows rose a little at the outburst, but he only nodded and fell silent.

Tsunade stared at her desk, covered with papers, documents unsigned, mission forms unstamped, records and files unread, all her paperwork just waiting for her to get back to it.

In that moment, she could have burned all of it. In that moment, she could have thrown out the entire desk, destroyed the four walls of her office, and finished the renovation with a giant skylight. Then she would lock herself in her room in the dark, with her pictures of Dan and Nawaki and about two dozen bottles of sake and snacks, and sleep for a week.

She reached her decision. Her only decision. The desk snapped in half, piles of papers wobbling dangerously before losing the battle and fluttering to the floor. Tsunade's back straightened slowly; she opened her eyes, trying not to show the slightest hint of emotion, and then trying to ignore the fact that the broken desk pretty much gave her away.

"Naruto –" she started.

"No."

**_Damn_**.

"Naruto –" she tried again.

"No!" He ran up to the desk, his blue eyes wide – horrified. "Don't listen to him Baa-chan. Don't listen!"

"Naruto –"

"I am good enough to go after Sasuke! I can do it this time! I can control the Kyūbi!"

"Both you and I know that's a lie," she whispered, her eyes itching, her fists clenching. Why did Danzō have to come here today? Why did he have to care about this? Why couldn't he have left it alone?! "Naruto –"

"No! No, no, no, no, no! What about all that stuff you said! You said you couldn't stop me! That you didn't have the right! You can't do this to me Baa-chan!"

"**_Naruto_**!" He stopped, his eyes huge, quivering in terror. He was shaking. Just a little. It broke Tsunade's heart.

She continued before she lost the ability to speak. "I don't have the right." '_Stop shaking!_' she yelled silently to her own voice. "But I do have the authority. Danzō will take your place in this retrieval mission. You will stay here in Konoha." She knew the cruelty of her words. She knew, as she watched Naruto's expression crumple and deteriorate like a dilapidated wall before her, that she was breaking his heart, his very spirit.

Sakura said nothing. What could she say? She looked like she was about to cry. Tears of rage, though it did not matter all the same.

"It…" he whispered, the feeling in his stomach returning. Cold. Dark. So heavy. So unfamiliar, this particular feeling. It engulfed him. Swallowed him. "It means nothing, then?" What was this feeling? "All my training…completing the Fourth Hokage's technique…it means nothing to you, Baa-chan?"

Tsunade suddenly moved. She wanted to hug him, and her body moved before her status could hold her back. A voice cold as the entire Land of Snow stopped her.

"You are the Jinchūriki of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto," said Danzō gravely. "Inside the walls of this village is the only place you truly belong."

Aah, he finally knew what this feeling was.

All light fled from his eyes, all lines, save for his definitive whisker marks, smoothed from his face. Naruto looked up, with an expression that shocked everyone in the room. It was the last thing they ever thought they would see from Naruto. They expected anger, or shock, or even sorrow. But not this.

Blankness.

Naruto did not do blankness. He could not. It was impossible for him. But there he was, standing perfectly still, with no expression whatsoever on his face. Blank. His eyes had even darkened a few shades, but held nothing in them.

This was Uchiha Sasuke's look. Not Naruto's. Never Naruto's. It was wrong. As wrong as an orange sky.

Naruto nodded once, shrugged slightly to get Jiraiya's hands off his shoulders, and walked slowly, so slowly, to the door.

Tsunade called his name, a slightly choked exclamation, but it did nothing to stop him.

That unique feeling, **_despair_**, had long since swallowed him whole.

* * *

It was raining by the time he left Tsunade's office. He took a very long, very slow walk in the rain to his apartment, where he flopped down on his bed soaking wet. Everything was as messy as he had left it that morning; the green-and-brown sleep shirt he had thrown to the floor still lay there, next to the table atop of which sat a half-eaten cup of instant ramen.

He glanced at it, contemplated reheating and eating it, surprisingly decided against it, and slept.

When he woke, the skies were dark, and still pouring. He went to scratch his stomach, which for some reason sometimes itched when he awoke. His hand found a piece of paper, folded in half and laid on his torso.

It was Sakura's handwriting, neat, yet with thick lines. Naruto smiled just a little. She always did have the habit of pressing too hard with her pen.

_We'll find them. Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke-kun. We'll bring them back. Wait for us._

A pause, or space in this instance.

_Now it's your turn to watch my back. Shannaro!_

Naruto smiled a full smile this time, and even let out a small laugh. He sat up and propped up Sakura's note next to his picture of Team 7. He stared at it, both note and picture, for a moment. Then he fell back, back onto his bed and threw an arm over his eyes, ignoring the sound of thunder outside the window and pretending he did not feel the singular drops of wetness roll from his eyes.

**Pathetic**.

His eyes snapped open. He knew that voice. Closing his eyes, he could see it. He was not there completely; he always disliked going there, and now…he just did not have the strength.

**Pathetic**.

_He's repeating himself? Does he think I'll answer him?_ Naruto asked with unfamiliar disdain, even for the fox. And something else. A wrongful kind of loftiness; superiority.

Yes, he could see it, curled up behind the bars of its prison, head rested on its paws, lips curled back at the new brand of disrespect – this **_snootiness_** – coming from its cage.

Knowing it was beyond its cage's control was only a small bit of comfort.

The Kyūbi growled, and Naruto descended, entering the space completely. He stood before the fox, his snootiness gone, weak and despairing once more, the hot tears in his eyes threatening to leak over.

One massive eye opened, its crimson gaze turned downwards, just a little, to meet Naruto's eyes. It opened its mouth, separating the two rows of massive teeth just enough to make out the slickness of a tongue, to speak.

The Kyūbi never really used its mouth to form words. The words simply came out, flowed out like a river, a clear audio of the beast's thoughts given form long before, and completely without the need for the working of his jaws, teeth or tongue.

**Danzō was right. You really are so weak. **

He looked at Naruto, who turned from him, throwing his arm over his eyes once more as new tears fell.

The beast sighed, a single breath that rattled the pipes of the sewer around it, and rippled the water flooding the floor.

**Too weak. Kai!**

And Naruto stopped crying. And Naruto sat up, with wide eyes, and stared around his room wondering _what the_ **hell** _he was doing_.

The cold, dark despair in his stomach was gone, his entire body felt lighter. His brain felt as though it had been misted over, and someone had come and wiped the mist away.

He knew this feeling. He had felt it only a few months ago, when he had faced Itachi's shadow clone.

"Genjutsu. I was in a genjutsu?" The fox did not answer. "When? How?" Still no answer. Naruto grew infuriated, and in an instant, he was standing in front of the massive steel bars of the cage, pounding on them with chakra-strengthened fists.

"Tell me!" he roared above the steady clanging of the bars, the noise giving even him a headache. He did not care. "Tell me you damn fox! Who put me under genjutsu! When did it happen?!"

The Kyūbi regarded him. A single moment passed when they locked eyes. Naruto saw something. Something less than hatred. Something different.

The fox spoke a single word.

"**Danzō.**"

Naruto **_screamed_**. He screamed and he pounded the bars in a rage that impressed the fox; that was, for once, neither induced nor enhanced by him. Naruto screamed, and raged, and pulled his hair to exhaustion.

He finally slid, panting, to the flooded floor, unsurprisingly not feeling the slightest bit of wetness.

"What did he do to me?" he asked hoarsely, remembering that awful heaviness in his stomach. The fox confirmed his suspicions.

"**He made you lose hope. He messed with your mind and made you give up.**"

"How?! A genjutsu can't do that! It's an illusion! I woulda seen weird things! I woulda known! Or someone – Ero-sennin or Tsunade no Baa-chan or Kakashi-sensei or Sakura-chan or –!"

"**Shut up!**" Naruto froze. "**Not all genjutsu are the same. Some can go deeper into your mind and destroy your will. The ones that can do that aren't detected so easily.**"

Naruto, for once, was silent. He was thinking. And he realised that the fox was right. Why had he ever **_listened_** to **_Danzō_**? He had heard worse things from better people.

In fact, why did anyone –?

"The others!" he shot to the fox. "Did he put them under genjutsu too?" He received no answer. Naruto did not stop long enough to care. His mind was running ahead. Why didn't he fight? Why didn't he punch that old man? Curse him? Challenge him and show him how strong he really was?

Except for a desperate plea to Baa-chan, he had done nothing. Said nothing. He had **_agreed_** with Danzo's words in the end, and had walked away. He had given up, had turned his back on his friends, on his nindō. On Sasuke.

That must have been a **_powerful_** genjutsu.

"Why?" he growled to the fox. "Why did you wait until now? Why didn't you do something back then?!" The fox roared then; the entire space shook and quickly filled with something hot and bubbling.

Hatred.

Naruto slowly rose from his knees, staring at the fox, or rather the bloodshot eye - its pupil as tall as he was - that was glaring directly into his own.

He realized then, that he had focused on the wrong thing.

"Kyūbi," he said in a serious tone that, again, should have been impossible for him. "Why did you release me from the genjutsu at all? You hate me."

Slowly, the heat dissipated, leaving Naruto's skin feeling raw, though he knew it was not his real skin. There was no such thing as skin and flesh and bone in the space the Kyūbi inhabited.

Naruto thought he would not get an answer. He prepared to leave.

"**I do hate you.**" He froze in mid-turn. "**But I hate the Sharingan even more.**"

Naruto, with eyes that aspired to be as wide as plates, turned around slowly.

"You told me…" he began, his voice deep with questions, "…that Danzō put me under the genjutsu. He doesn't have –"

"**It is hidden under the bandages on his face. His right eye holds the Sharingan that cast the genjutsu on _you._**_"_ If Naruto picked up on the answer hidden in the last word of the Kyūbi's statement, he did not show it. "**And along his right arm, there are ten more Sharingan.**"

Naruto had stopped breathing at some point. It was…horror. Not horrible, too weak a word. Just horror. Ten Sharingan in his **_arm_**? Where had he gotten –?

"How do you know?" _You must be lying. If you're not…my friends are… You have to be lying!_ "How do you know?!" his scream echoed through the space.

And then, the space shrunk, or rather squeezed in on itself before it expanded all at once and **_pushed_**. Naruto blinked and he was back on his bed, in his messy room, in his tiny apartment.

There was a black cat on his table, with its back turned to him, drenched from the rain and poking at his half-empty cup of ramen. How did it get in?

Why the hell was he thinking about it now?! His friends were in danger. Or were they? After all, the Kyūbi never answered –

"**I can feel it**," the demon's voice echoed in his mind, an almost tired lilt to it. Was the Kyūbi … going to sleep? Did the Kyūbi **_sleep_**? "**The hatred in those eyes…**"

Then its voice vanished completely, and Naruto was alone. For some reason, his eyes returned to the black cat. It was sniffing the ramen. Suddenly, it recoiled, a shudder running through its body.

Yep, he definitely made the right choice not to eat it. He sniffed in humour at the cat for a moment; then got up and started packing his things at lightning speed.

If he left now, then despite the rain, he could still catch up to them. And when he did, before anything else, he would rip the bandages right off of Danzō's face.

Just as he was adjusting his leg holster and counting the kunai and shuriken within (he never used senbon, though he had seen a few in Sakura and Sai's holsters. Maybe he should start getting into them … nah…) he heard a tiny, shivering sob coming from his kitchen.

He looked. There was only the cat. Who was (Naruto saw the flicker of a tongue) licking at the ramen. And sobbing. Naruto stared.

Lick. Lick. Tremor. Sob. Lick.

Naruto never felt so much pity in his life. But, he had to leave. He couldn't tend to this cat, no matter how pitiful it looked. So hungry that it would force itself to eat rotten ramen… And all that shivering could not be from disgust alone…

Really? Was he really going to delay getting to his friends – for a cat? He didn't even like cats. And it was intruding for goodness sake!

It was then that Naruto realized that standing stock still, having an internal debate with himself was not helping matters.

So, as quick as a ninja could move in his own tiny and dark apartment without breaking anything, he grabbed the ramen from the cat, dumped it in the garbage, got a bowl, looked at said bowl, cleaned off the unidentified scum stuck to said bowl, went in the fridge, took out milk, poured it in the bowl, dumped the clumps of curdled milk into the garbage, rewashed the bowl, opened a new carton of milk from the fridge, sniffed it first, then poured the fresh milk into the bowl and set it before the cat. All in the space of ten seconds.

He would summon a shadow clone to pat himself on the back later. As an afterthought, since he did not have any usable towels right then, he picked up the sleeping shirt that he had thrown to the floor that morning and wrapped it around the cat.

"It's not clean, but it's dry," he scolded as the cat seemed to stiffen at the shirt's smell. Then, without a glance back, he was gone out of the window and into the rain.

The cat stared out after him, tilted its head, then shrugged and lapped eagerly at its milk.

* * *

"Turn back."

Naruto decided that thunderstorms officially hated him. Not even a full ten meters out of the village gates and there was Tsunade, as strong and immovable as a giant in his path. It was not surprising. Naruto was always especially slow in the rain – it was a weakness he was never quite able to shake.

He hated the rain. It made the way ahead of him hard to see, made the ground or tree limbs under him as slippery as ice, and made him unable to leave less than a half inch deep track of prints whenever he ran on 'solid' ground. Not to mention the thunder and lightning were…distracting to say the least.

That slip on that last rooftop that happened when a burst of lightning flashed right in his eyes, followed by a heart-shaking roar of thunder was proof of how distracting (not terrifying, and certainly not enough to make the great Naruto Uzumaki stumble) they were.

Oh, but thunderstorms loved Tsunade. They even rumbled and roared to add just that little extra oomph to her already thunderous voice. And the lightning struck at just the right angle to illuminate and shadow the fierce expression on her beautiful face, making her look, quite frankly, like Hell's gatekeeper.

"Turn back," she repeated.

"I can't," Naruto shook the water from his hair in the vigour of his expression, only to have it replaced in a millisecond. "I have to go. Danzō's evil. Or insane!"

Tsunade closed her eyes, a gesture to show her quickly draining patience. "Naruto, I know you hate Danzō right now. In all honesty, I do too. But what's done is done."

"No, you don't get it Baa-chan! He put me under genjutsu to make me give up on Sasuke!"

Lightning flashed again, dramatically illuminating Tsunade's stunned features in a way that would make the best movie directors jealous.

"What are you talking about? If you were under genjutsu we would have –"

"It was really strong genjutsu," Naruto countered seamlessly. "The type that goes inside your head and messes with it and makes you do things you wouldn't do normally!"

Tsunade studied his face for a while. Not to tell if he was lying, no, even someone who was not a ninja would be able to tell that right away. Naruto just had that kind of face. No, she was thinking. She was replaying every part of that awful conversation that had occurred not a few hours prior.

Suddenly, she made a single-handed seal in front of her lips and said, "Kai!" She waited. Naruto waited. The rain poured.

"Nothing. Tell me Naruto, who released this genjutsu for you? I would like to speak to them."

Here, Naruto flushed. But he did not hesitate. There was no time. "It was the Kyūbi. He said I was weak and then he released it."

Tsunade's voice was surprisingly level. "What else did he tell you?"

Naruto took the bait, as she knew he would. "He said that Danzō used the Sharingan. That he has a Sharingan under those bandages on his face. And he has more. Ten. On his right arm. I asked him how he knows, and he said he can feel the hatred in those eyes."

"Why would the Kyūbi tell you this?"

"I don't know. But, Baa-chan, you see now that I have to go! Danzo's not a good guy, and my friends are –!"

Tsunade **_moved_**. Naruto gasped and his stomach clenched. He doubled over, and saw Tsuande's hand on his bare stomach and the black spiral pattern of the Kyūbi's seal prominent on his skin. Tsunade's fingers, pressed deep into his flesh, glowed with chakra and the kanji of the five Chinese elements.

She caught Naruto as he fell against her, barely conscious.

"Why?" he whispered.

"I'm sorry, but we can't trust that fox," she said in the gentle voice that Naruto only heard once from her. "You know that, Naruto. Besides, I've already ordered surveillance on Danzō. And I won't forget what you've told me, but you need to stay in the village."

"Baa…chan…"

"I'll undo that seal at a later time. I'm sorry kiddo." But Naruto was already asleep. Tsunade's breasts were just too warm.

* * *

When Naruto awoke, it was to a blanket pressing gently over his body, and something warm, small and furry snuggled up next to him. A small puff of air that smelled like milk blew across his face every few seconds.

He was home. Dry, warm and in his bed. With his cat. Yes, Naruto had enough sense to know that if you feed an animal and it crawls into bed with you, it's basically yours for life.

Naruto did not even look at the thing. Who in the heavens even decided that it was a good idea to give Naruto a **_black_** cat? As if the boy did not have enough troubles already. The cat purred. It sounded so cute that Naruto hated it. He did not want to get attached to this thing, dammit!

It was distracting. He had to find a way to convince Baa-chan to let him go. She said she had it under control, but Danzō – and Naruto felt he could admit this silently in his head and in the confines of his own house – Danzō scared him.

The man had hid eleven Sharingan right under the noses of two Hokage for how many years? **_Eleven_** Sharingan. Even Itachi only had two, and he was the stuff of men's nightmares.

Naruto thought about Sai. Danzō was responsible for that too, wasn't he? He was the reason Sai was so awkward and so emotionally retarded that even Naruto couldn't help but hate him at first. Who else? How many Anbu Root were there? How many Sais?

_I know you hate Danzō right now._

Damn straight.

_I'm sorry, but we can't trust that fox._

But, as much as he hated that damned fox, Naruto did not think the Kyūbi was lying. He had no way to prove it to Baa-chan, though. If he thought about it, he didn't even have a way to prove it to himself.

He glanced out the window. The storm had stopped at last, and the skies lightened to grey as the sun weakly rose. Not one of the best days, but better than the rain.

There was movement beside his head. He released a small sigh as he felt his cat snuggle up to his face, purring softly. He was stuck with this thing, might as well accept it. He moved a hand, and stroked its head and ears. It had warm, big ears. Naruto bent one downwards, gently of course, and found that the tip reached just below its shoulders.

And its head was…oddly shaped. Not like a cat's head at all. It was bigger. And rounder? Before he could turn his head to look properly in the growing light, his fingers drifted sideways. And touched skin.

Skin.

It wasn't his skin. It was soft, warm and the flesh beneath it was plump. Skin. That was not his. That had no business being on a cat.

All of Naruto froze except his fingers, which drifted lightly all over the new face. The human face. Eyes, nose, mouth, all human. Sharp little teeth. A giggle. _Oh, it giggled because I touched its teeth_, thought Naruto. _That's cute. That's really cute._

…If it's cute, it can't be evil, right? **_Right?_**

It can't be one of those cat spirits that visit you in the middle of the night and suck out your soul while you're sleeping right? **_Right_**?

Slowly (and so mechanically one could hear cogs turning), Naruto turned his head to face his new pet. A human face, flanked by two soft pointed ears and a shag of black hair, looked back at him.

Naruto almost screamed. Almost cried. Almost passed out again.

He was staring into the face of Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

**A/N: In case it was too vague, the hidden answer that the Kyuubi gave to Naruto is that he was the only one Danzo cast a genjutsu on. **

**So the kitty finally makes an appearance. More in the next chapter.**

**To all who read, and to the single guest review I have so far, thank you all. I hope this was worth the wait.**

**See you guys next time!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Okay. Okay. After several minutes of staring (during which Sasuke-cat actually went back to sleep, only to be shaken awake and shakily offered breakfast, much to the poor thing's confusion), fighting down rising tidal waves of panic, more staring and actually having an admirably quiet panic session in his bathroom, Naruto now sat opposite Sasuke-cat, who was licking slowly at a new bowl of milk, giving him wary glances every so often.

His brain, which had been sparking thoughts like a disconnected street wire, had calmed somewhat (the panic session had helped in the end) and he was able to think a little.

First, he performed 'Kai!' on himself. Nothing. But even so, he had first seen this cat the previous night, right after the Kyūbi had released Danzō's genjutsu. It was a low chance then that the cat was an illusion, but he had to try.

Next, he took up a small, thick stick from under his bed (it was once the leg of a tiny coffee table he had long forgotten about), and bonked Sasuke-cat on his head to dispel any Henge that might be in play.

For his efforts, he proved there was no Henge, and he got a healthy scratch right across his face and several minutes on his knees trying to coax an irritated Sasuke-cat out from under his bed.

Now they were back to the kitchen table, Naruto staring at the cat who was licking his milk, and trying to ignore the glowing red lump on its head that still peeked out from beneath the makeshift ice pack.

Naruto thought it was a good time to observe, like what Kakashi and Sakura usually told him to do (though Sakura's words usually followed a painful whack to the head).

This … cat? … was not Sasuke. Not exactly. It was more like…a baby Sasuke. Fat, pink cheeks, big charcoal eyes which were still fathomless in their darkness, and large black ears that were pink on the inside and had tufts of the softest black fur sticking out. The hairstyle was the same duck-butt style that the girls seemed to love on him. He had a tail, long, fluffy and soft, that moved absently as Sasuke-cat/kitten? finished off his milk.

The ears and tail seemed to be the only feline parts on him. The rest, as far as Naruto could tell, was fully human. Hands and feet instead of paws, legs and arms just like a human's if not shorter. He wore an outfit similar to when he was still a part of Konoha (Naruto swallowed), a blue shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back, and dirty white shorts. No shoes.

He was small, barely reaching half of Naruto's calf standing straight. And, as Naruto had noted several times before, he was adorable.

Several questions came to mind.

One: was he really as stupid as everyone thought? How… HOW… had he not seen this the previous night? Well, it had been dark, and he was in a rush, but still...

Two: what was he going to do about this? A large part of him screamed to go to Baa-chan but something strong – predominantly the new seal on his stomach that throbbed every now and then – told him it would be a bad idea.

Three: was this really Sasuke? The real Sasuke? Avenger? Killer of Orochimaru? His best friend? The kitten did not seem to be an illusion, or a disguise, but he could not be sure if it was not a trick.

He was not a Hyūga that could see his chakra, nor was he an Inuzuka who could determine his scent. He could not go into his mind either like a Yamanaka, nor use his 200+ IQ to logic out his identity like a Nara. He was an Uzumaki. What could an Uzumaki do?

All he had were guts and his instincts. Right now, both were telling him that this was possible. Possible … and impossible. Naruto sighed. What good was that?

"Thank you."

He supposed that his instincts had never let him down before. Then Kabuto flashed in his mind and he winced. So his instincts had been wrong about a top-level spy _**once**_. That did not mean –

What?

"What?" he stared at the cat.

Sasuke-kitten rocked on his haunches a little (he had been sitting that way to lap at the milk, like a real cat) before looking up at him.

"Thank you. Fo' da milk."

Oh. It could talk. Great.

"Y-you're welcome," Naruto said with perfect calmness (add another pat on the back with his shadow clone to the list).

The kitten smiled shyly. "Wha's your name? My name's Shasu –" the cat suddenly pursed its lips and tried again. "**Sa**-suke. Uchiha **Sa**-suke."

"Uzumaki Naruto." It could talk. And it really was a baby. Or a small child. Naruto suddenly felt ashamed for some reason. He averted his eyes from the dripping icepack that drooped on the kitten's head.

"Nawuto?" So cute. The kitten pursed its lips again. "Na – **ru** – to. Naruto."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah. You got it."

Sasuke-kitten smiled again, his ears twitching in delight.

_So this is what Sasuke looks like when he smiles,_ thought Naruto. He could not help reaching out and scratching behind its ear. Sasuke started purring immediately, nuzzling into his hand.

Naruto smiled regretfully. It did not know him. It was not Sasuke. Not the one he knew. A part of him said it should have been obvious, but hope was never killed so easily.

"Naruto?" Sasuke-kitten pulled away from his hand a bit. "Can you help me? Where I come from, everyone's like me. But here, everyone's so big. It's scary. Can I stay with you?"

Naruto's mouth quirked into a slightly confused smile. "Sure."

Sasuke smiled. "Then, can you help me find my Nii-chan?"

Naruto's smile froze solid. Sasuke-kitten did not notice. "I was with him before. But then, everything went dark and there was a big WHOOSH and when I woke up I was in this place and I couldn't see or smell Nii-chan anywhere." At Naruto's iced expression, the kitten tilted its head, wondering what was wrong. Then he gasped. How could he have been so stupid?

"You don't know what Nii-chan looks like, right? He's dis tall and he has ea'ws and a tail like mine," in his excitement, he slipped back into a baby's lisp. "His hair is longa dan mine, and a diff'went…lighta kinda black. It falls aw'ound his face like dis, an' he has it in a ponytail dat ends about he'we (he struggled to point to a point just below his shoulder blades). And – and…"

"Itachi?" Naruto finally croaked out.

Sasuke-kitten's smile grew bright as the emerging sun. "You know him! You know my Nii-chan!" Yeah, Naruto knew him. What he did not know was why Sasuke was smiling at that news. The Sasuke he knew…

This was not the Sasuke he knew.

"Can you help me find him Naruto? Pwease?" Sasuke's huge eyes quivered with his helplessness. "I – I can't smell him anywhere. Nii-chan was right next to me, but when I woke up, I was alone. I tried to find him by myself, but a lot of scary ladies hit me with brooms when I went in their houses. And den I got so hungry…"

Sasuke started crying a little. Naruto's heart broke a little. "I saw a window open and I jumped in. And den you saw me, and I thought you were gonna to make me leave like da scary ladies, but you didn't let me eat da bad soup, and you gave me milk. I knew you were nice. And dat you would help me. If we find my Nii-chan, he could take me home. Back to my Kaa-san and Otou-sama."

Naruto was confused. Naruto was even a little scared at the end of Sasuke-kitten's explanation (though of what, he did not know). But no amount of confusion or fear could stop the next words from falling out of his mouth. Words as natural to him as breathing.

"Okay. I'll help you, Sasuke."

He was not the Sasuke he knew. But for now, he was Sasuke enough for him.

* * *

Naruto decided that he needed information. It still had not really sunken in that Sasuke was now a baby kitten.

_**A baby kitten**_.

Naruto still found himself rather mild about the whole thing, despite the involuntary spasms of his right hand whenever he thought of those large ears and fat, fat cheeks. He supposed that the real impact of this would hit him some lonely night around midnight, where he would wake up screaming at the top of his lungs and would once again be threatened with eviction for disturbing the peace.

But for now, he was mild.

He was not a Hyūga, an Inuzuka, a Yamanaka or a Nara. He was an Uzumaki. One of a kind. Which meant that, rather than falling back on decades of clan knowledge from long dead generations, he needed to find information to figure out what had happened to his best friend the only viable way he could.

By listening to the advice of the only family he had.

And indeed, listening to Kakashi, Sakura and even Sai's advice about learning new things (which was given numerous times in the past and was just as numerously ignored) paid off more than he ever thought.

These slabs of paper called books _**were**_ good for something other than emergency fire tinder/toilet paper.

And the library was _**more**_ than a blank canvas for any new graffiti that came to mind.

"Yo, got anything in here on cats – uh, baby cats?"

The librarian, who stared at him like an alien fresh off a spaceship and asking her to be an incubator for his babies, silently pointed to an aisle of books at the far end of the building.

"Thanks. Oh! And uh, anything on uh, you know like when you forget big chunks of your life, or people or –?"

"Amnesia?" the woman supplied in a deadpan tone.

"Yeah?"

"Aisle 8."

"Thanks. And…uh…anything on jutsus that could turn you into a kid? Or a cat? Or both?" If he was an alien, the look on the woman's face suggested that he had just asked her to come aboard his spaceship and have his babies for the next 50 years.

And then, she silently pointed to an aisle at the opposite end of the library to the cat aisle.

"Thanks."

Then, he was off. After choosing a simple book on kitten care and the title Understanding Amnesia: Volume 1, he turned to the jutsu aisle, which contained many scrolls rather than books.

After picking out a few he thought were relevant, he settled at a big desk and created five shadow clones; the most he could accomplish with the restriction of Tsunade's seal. It was frustrating since he had promised Sasuke that he would be back within the hour (a feat easy with ten more clones) but it would have to do for now.

After arguing over who would take which books, and who would sit in that chair with the bendy leg, Naruto and his clones settled and began to read. And read. At some point, again following Sakura, Kakashi and Sai's advice/ scoldings/ why-do-I-even-bother-he's-just-going-to-eat-ramen-as-soon-as-I'm-finished-talking talks, they began to take notes.

When his eyes got tired, or his muscles cramped, he (or one of his clones) would get up and stretch and take a walk around the library (it was certainly big enough). Thirst was no problem with the water-coolers present at strategic locations in the building, but when his stomach niggled with hunger he would simply think about Sasuke-kitten's smile and suddenly, chewing on the crackers he had brought with him (only because he always forgot that they were in these pants) was oddly satisfying.

Hours passed, and despite Naruto having to read and reread and reread his rereadings, he was beginning to figure some things out.

There were more jutsu to turn shinobi into children than Naruto felt comfortable acknowledging. Since jutsu that were able to actually regress the body to a younger state were unheard of or even labelled as a 'favourite of shinobi myths', most jutsu that emulated this power seemed to revolve around a specialised Henge no Jutsu – Transformation. Naruto, however, had done the standard test (in his own mind) for a Henge. It made sense though when one of his clones likened it to Tsunade's youthful appearance, and for once, Naruto was patting one of his clones on the back.

However, a jutsu like this only changed the body, not the mind. The scrolls addressed this as well. This Child Turning technique (as Naruto temporarily dubbed it, and whacked the clone who pointed out how lame it was) was usually a Henge combined with some sort of genjutsu, to suppress adult memories and make the victim think he was really a child.

_Naruto? Can I stay with you?_

False memories were sometimes implanted as well.

_Can you help me? Where I come from, everyone's like me. But here, everyone's so big. It's scary._

It was a technique usually used to subdue especially cunning or strong enemies without severely injuring them. But Naruto knew Sasuke. He would not be caught in a genjutsu so easily. Even if he was caught, he could break out. He did defeat Orochimaru after all.

The child Henge he could buy. But the genjutsu? Probably not.

That was where the amnesia came in.

According to his clones, there were also techniques to force amnesia, or medical ninjutsu that could be used to the same effect.

_I – I can't smell him anywhere. Nii-chan was right next to me, but when I woke up, I was alone._

Retrograde amnesia was what Sasuke had, where one forgot the past and all its traumas. It could be a few months' worth.

Or years. Even decades.

_If we find my Nii-chan, he could take me home. Back to my Kaa-san and Otou-sama._

Forced amnesia. And with the mind weakened, implanting memories with genjutsu became much easier; the overall effect compounded. It was rare, but not unheard of. It had been done before, it was possible to do, and, if done correctly and with a lot of preparation, it was enough to take down someone of Sasuke's calibre. Leaving Sasuke a true child, helpless, confused and alone.

_Can you help me find my Nii-chan?_

Returning to him a love for Itachi that can only be explained by some sort of brain damage.

That…made sense. It did not answer everything, like how Sasuke still managed to end up in Konoha after being so weakened.

_But then, everything went dark and there was a big WHOOSH and when I woke up I was in this place and I couldn't see or smell Nii-chan anywhere._

Could Sasuke have been describing the last, faintest memories he had of the technique that robbed him of all skill, all power, and all hatred?

Naruto did not know. And he still did not have an answer to the cat thing. But, despite how many rests he took now, the words were starting to swim across the page in front of him. He dispelled the clones, who were already dozing. He was done for the day. There was always tomorrow.

And he still needed to finish up his kitten care book –

Naruto froze at the large, callous palm slapped to his forehead.

* * *

Iruka Umino was having an odd day. When Udon, having gone early to the library to borrow Leisurely Problem Solving: A Mathematician's Hobby Vol. 7, reported to him that he had seen Naruto rummaging through the cat aisle, Iruka immediately laughed it off as some kind of prank or Henge.

When, five minutes before lunch was supposed to end, one of his student's mothers called out to him in the courtyard and in the midst of casual conversation about her daughter's grades and overall behaviour, she mentioned that she had seen Naruto – six Narutos in fact, sitting in the library with their heads buried in books and scrolls, and taking notes no less, he became intrigued but still convinced it was someone's idea of a joke.

When, as he was packing up at the end of the long school day, one of his fellow sensei told him he still had time to join in the Academy staff's on-going pool that Uzumaki Naruto, who had skipped out on lunch to _**study**_ in Konoha's _**library**_, would also skip out on dinner, well, that was when Iruka decided he would pay a visit to said library.

Simply to humour himself, of course.

He went to the library. He saw Naruto, and his clones. Reading. Reading _**real**_ books. And every so often (Iruka blinked, squinted and stood on tiptoes to make sure) yes! Every so often, he would _**take notes**_.

Iruka could have cried. He almost did – he felt his eyes getting warm, but quickly suppressed it. His kids would not let him hear the end of it if their sensei was caught crying in public. Instead he asked the librarian how long the blond had been there.

Since morning. Udon had been telling the truth.

Still, he did not approach Naruto immediately. It was almost as though the blond had become a rare, endangered species, and if he moved too quickly or carelessly, he would spook him and he would run away, never to return.

So Iruka orbited around his former student, milling around his general vicinity, skimming through the summaries of a few books and every so often stealing a glance in the boy's direction.

Still there. Still reading.

Oh, that was an interesting tidbit about sunflowers he never knew.

Still reading.

Oh, houseflies always hum in an F key. He did not know that.

Stretching. Yawning. Back to reading.

Iruka checked his watch. 45 minutes. He had watched Naruto for 45 minutes and the boy had sat perfectly still, and studied. Iruka let a tear roll down his cheek and he did not care who saw it.

Oh, looks like he was finishing up. Yup, closing the books and scrolls, leaning back, rubbing his eyes and dispelling the shadow clones, definitely leaving. With only fifteen minutes till Konoha's usual dinner time. He could almost hear the groans of his fellow staff, and money being thrown in despair and remorse on a helpless table.

When he was about to stand up, Iruka clapped a hand to his forehead and adopted his most serious expression.

"Are you sick?"

Tired blue eyes blinked twice at him before the slow, bewildered response. "No."

"Is someone you love sick?" Iruka did not miss a beat.

To his surprise, Naruto hesitated a bit. "Not really," he said, averting his eyes. Iruka tilted his head, but did not pursue it. Naruto would tell him when he wanted.

"You've been here since morning?" A nod. "Wanna go get some ramen?" A vigorous nod. Iruka chuckled and walked him out, noticing how he held on to one of the books. A book on … kitten care?

"Oi, obasan," he called to the librarian, who blinked up at him irritably. Iruka did not see why. The woman was obviously in her late thirties. "Can you save this for me? I'm coming back tomorrow and I wanna –"

"You know," she drawled, "you can borrow that book." Naruto blinked. "As in take it home. And bring it back a week later. For free."

Naruto blinked twice and turned to Iruka, who nodded to show it was true.

"That – is – awesome. Who thought of that?"

"I dunno," the librarian smirked. "It's a brand new invention."

"Oh, I see." The librarian chuckled (Iruka knew it was in good nature) and stamped the book. "Bring it back a week from today, Naruto."

"How d'you –?"

"I know the names of all Konoha shinobi. They get special permissions for borrowing from the Hokage."

"Cool. Thanks obachan!" Iruka noticed the quick, yet sincere shift in honorifics. By the librarian's small smile as he left, he knew the boy had once again charmed his way into another heart.

* * *

"But if you use amnesia, to make 'em forget they were an adult, and _**then**_ use the genjutsu to change the kid memories they already have, then it'll work on almost anyone. At least, I think it will."

Naruto took another huge slurp of ramen. It was his fourth bowl, and Teuchi was already cooking a fifth. "For the amnesia, you could use a normal jutsu or medical ninjutsu. I think the medical ninjutsu would be stronger, y'know, 'cause it's … well they train for this kinda stuff y'know?" Naruto stacked away the fourth bowl just as the fifth was placed in front of him. He had come here so often, Teuchi could time him perfectly.

"I see," said Iruka. "So that's what you've been studying today?"

"Yup. Took a lot longer to read it than say it though," said Naruto with a slight hint of frustration. Iruka chuckled.

"That's how it is sometimes. So that 'Child Turning' technique, it's a retrieval and capture method, right?"

"Yeah it's…yeah…"

The mood dimmed silently. "I heard about what happened with Danzō," Iruka told him. "And if you ask me, I think certain members of that Council are getting too senile to be having an opinion."

"Thanks Iruka-sensei."

Iruka smiled, and pointed with his chopsticks to the book by Naruto's elbow. "So, kitten care huh? You have a cat?"

"Uh – uh – well – uh… kind of. I'm gonna be taking care of one for a while." He could never lie well to Iruka. So he changed the subject. "You know anything about cats?"

"Nope. I know about kids, not kittens." Naruto thought on that a little, and voiced a small question.

"What's the difference?"

Iruka snorted into his ramen, quickly apologizing but still chuckling as he cleaned the mess.

"Not much difference really. They both want to play all day and scratch both you and the furniture."

"Yeah. But, like, I dunno. If there's really not much difference, maybe you could tell me some things that will help me."

"I'll try. How old of a kid are we talking?"

"How old?"

"Yup. I teach all classes, from little ones up to you, Sasuke and Sakura's ages when you left the Academy."

"Oh, right. Well…um… I don't really know the age…"

"What's the kid look like? How does he talk, or –"

"Oh! He talks 'like dis Iwuka' (Iruka almost laughed at Naruto's sudden baby talk but managed to hold it in) but when he tries he can talk normally."

"Hmm… sounds like 5 or 6, if he's making a conscious effort on his own to speak well. Could even be 4 or 3 if he's smart. I'll talk from the youngest age, is that okay?"

"Sure."

"Well, kids at that age still need a lot of care. In terms of food, they need a lot of water and natural juices, not the processed stuff. They need to drink water often, even if they don't want to, because if they don't they can become dehydrated. Fruit and veggies are good if you want them to grow healthy." He glanced down at the pork slices in Naruto's ramen. "They can't eat meat like that yet, you need to cut it up in small chunks and it needs to be extra tender. And you can't give them too much or too late in the day or they won't digest it well and then they can't sleep…"

He trailed off to a stop at the way Naruto was staring at him, his mouth hanging open a little.

"Iruka-sensei … why don't you have kids?"

The ramen stand was dead silent for a moment. "Naruto, do you want my advice or not?"

"Never ask that question ever again?"

"Yup."

"Gotcha."

"So, to continue, kids at that age usually have a lot of energy. They get bored quickly and like to run around in the sun, most of them anyway. That's good, because the sunlight on their skin gives them vitamins. But it also burns so make sure to use sunscreen. They also need their naps during the day, even if they tell you they don't… Uh, Naruto? Were we talking about kids, or kittens?"

"Both?" Naruto said with a shrug.

"Oh. Well…hm, I can't think of anything else…oh yes! Potty training is something left to the family usually but you have to make sure you have the proper seating. Most kids are so small that even if they could climb up to the seat, they would just fall into the toilet bowl."

Naruto did not hear what he said to that. His face was growing cold.

"Also they can't hold it in as well as adults, and they're not ninja yet so they don't know the right way to go outdoors, so it's good to always be nearby. Going too far away from them is a big no-no. Even if they were in your house, if you leave them all alone they can get into all sorts of –"

"I gotta go, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto jetted off his stool and out the entrance way. "Thanks for the ramen!" he sounded like he was half-way down the street when the hurried thanks reached Iruka. The Chūnin stared out the entrance, sighed, and finished off his ramen. It seemed that when he was not looking, Naruto had gone off and grown yet again.

He looked down at the abandoned book left beside a half-eaten bowl of ramen. Well, maybe he had not grown all that much.

* * *

"Sasuke!"

Naruto stood in the doorway to his apartment, panting not for the distance he had run, but in panic.

"Sasuke! Where are you? Sasuke!"

The bottle of milk he had left for him (which was almost as tall as the little kitten) was half drunk and half spilled all over the floor.

Naruto's heart shook with guilt.

"Sasuke! Please be here! Please answer me! Sasuke!"

He had not meant to stay out all day. When he ran from Ichiraku, it shocked him how dark the sky was. He was supposed to be back in an _**hour**_.

"Sasuke, please! Please come out!" Naruto went down on his knees, crawling all over his apartment, checking every crevice for where the kitten could be hiding.

Nothing.

There was only one place left to look. And it stank.

Naruto slowly opened the door to the bathroom and stared. Sasuke…had tried to use the bathroom. But he was too small to climb up, so he went the only other place available to him. He had vomited there too, twice, the milky-white substance congealing into something that would take half a bottle of floor cleaner to scrub off. Two, no three bottles were needed to do the entire floor.

Sasuke was not there.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, his eyes full to leaking. His clones left, through the window and door, before the smoke of their creation disappeared. Naruto was right on their heels.

It was not long before one of the clones found Sasuke, curled up in an alleyway with his arms over his head and his face to the dust, while a bunch of nameless (and soon to be bloody-nosed) boys tormented the kitten (or as they so affectionately dubbed him, the human-faced demon cat).

The clone made quick work of the boys before scooping the kitten up in his arms and racing back to his original's apartment, where he lay Sasuke on the bed and dispelled himself to send the information.

Terrified and relieved, Naruto burst into the apartment a minute later and hugged Sasuke for all he was worth, whispering desperate apologies into his drooped ears.

Sasuke stank. Naruto did not care.

The kitten was barely conscious as Naruto gave him a much-needed bath in the only metal wash-basin he owned. Remembering the puke he had seen in the bathroom, he sent a clone back to the library to find a book on children's illnesses.

Realising that he had no clean towels or clothes for Sasuke, he sent two other clones on that task.

In the meantime, Sasuke was wrapped in his own orange jacket.

Naruto sat on his bed and waited for his clones, cradling Sasuke close to his chest. The kitten's head lolled weakly, his eyelids in a constant limbo between open and closed, his little mouth open and panting slightly.

Naruto did not know what was wrong. Sasuke was sick, but he did not know what to do. He only knew that he should not have left him alone for so long, but he was not a medic-nin.

But Tsunade was. Shizune was. And the hospital was full of them.

Why was he still here?

Naruto stood back up, then sat down again.

He could not go to Tsunade. Or Shizune. Or the hospital. Going there would mean revealing Sasuke, or rather, revealing Sasuke to Danzō. The man with eleven Sharingan. The man who had no reason to stop at eleven.

Naruto trusted Tsunade. But he did not know the type of power Danzō held, and what, or who, he was allowed to get his hands on. Until he could be assured that Danzō was not a threat to Sasuke, Naruto dared not take the chance. He dared not tell.

Sasuke coughed.

His big words and even bigger resolve flew away in the single breath.

Two coughs later, Naruto was on his feet, his mind made up. If he used a Henge, maybe he could…

In a moment too perfect to describe, his clones returned, bursting in picture-perfect motion through the door and window. In that moment of Naruto's relief, the world grew silent. Then one clone spoke, the one holding the book from the library, and all the sound returned.

"I know what it is," he said, sticking a finger in Sasuke's mouth. He nodded authoritatively. "He's dehydrated. Remember, Iruka-sensei told us about that. He hardly drank anything all day, and he vomited with diarrhoea. His mouth's dry too."

Another clone pulled out a fluffy blue towel from a shopping bag and started drying Sasuke's hair. Naruto handed the kitten over to him, while the first clone told him about the medicine he needed. He sent the third clone out to get the medicine, while the one with the book started working on a homemade salt solution.

"It's to replace elec – electro – uh, good stuff that he needs to replace all the stuff he lost."

While the solution was fed to Sasuke in small sips along with some water, the clone returned with the medicine.

"Was it made by the Nara clan?" the book clone asked. The other nodded, throwing in a muttered insult when the clone wasn't looking.

"What's the medicine for?" asked the original.

"Stomach bug."

"Huh?"

"You know, gas – gaster – gastra… something that makes your stomach hurt and makes you puke and stuff. It's why Sasuke's so dried out. The medicine will fix it."

"Okay."

With that, they tended to Sasuke until midnight, when the tiny Uchiha finally stopped dry heaving, and fell from unawareness into a peaceful sleep.

The four Narutos stared at him for a moment, then sighed as one in relief. Naruto made to release the jutsu, when he remembered the bathroom. If he left it overnight, he knew it would become some_**thing**_ uncleanable in the morning.

"I'll treat you all to ramen later," was the tired promise given to the grumbling clones, as he grabbed an extra-large bottle of floor cleaner from under the sink.

* * *

Morning fell upon Naruto kneeling at the edge of Sasuke's bed, sleeping with his head nestled in his arms.

With the light falling on his face, Sasuke awoke first. He felt better, and his tummy wasn't making those weird noises that hurt anymore.

He sat up, stretched and realised he was dressed in a little blue nightgown with yellow stars all over it. The sleeves were too long though, and he had to roll them several times to get them to his wrists.

He leaned forward to his knees and crawled, with his legs and tail swallowed in the nightgown, to the sunburst mess of hair at the end of the bed. He tugged at sunshine made tangible for a few moments before Naruto grunted and looked up.

"'suke?" he mumbled sleepily. He blinked. His eyes grew wide. "Sasuke! Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Sasuke stared at him. He scowled and thumped Naruto on the head with his tail.

"You didn't come back. You left me alone all day."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I didn't mean to, I just lost track of time. I'm really sorry."

Sasuke was still frowning, but those fat cheeks made the expression more of a pout. "Don't do it again. I hate being alone."

_I know._ "Me too." He stretched out a tentative hand. Sasuke still frowned, though his left ear twitched in betrayal. Naruto's hand soon met soft fur, and he scratched behind the traitorous ear, having Sasuke purring loudly despite himself.

"Is that why you left the apartment? Because you were alone?" He stopped scratching, but he did not move his hand from the kitten. Sasuke shook his head.

"I left to find my Nii-chan. But I felt bad and my head was a merry-go-round." Naruto's heart panged with guilt once again. "Did you find him?"

"No, I didn't."

"Can we go looking again today?"

Naruto started rubbing behind Sasuke's ear again. "Sure."

They had breakfast; Naruto had chopped up whatever fruit he had around that was not bad, or from a can, and gave that to Sasuke along with his milk. The clone's memories of that book were really paying off.

After eating, Naruto followed Sasuke to help with his toilet, much to the kitten's mortification.

"It's only this one time," Naruto said with a reassuring smile, "I'm getting a few things today to help you out."

"You're leaving me alone again?"

"Nope. My clones will take care of all the shopping. You and I will do something different."

"What?"

It then struck Naruto a little odd that he was having this conversation while standing over a baby Sasuke-kitten, who was sitting on his toilet with his undies down – undies that were purchased in the cosplay section of Konoha's single pet shop, being the smallest pair that the clone could find – and looking up at him as he held his hands up to stop the kitten from falling into the bowl.

"Well, we're going to the doctor."

Sasuke blinked. Then he jumped to the floor, pulled up his undies and dashed from the bathroom, all in 1.5 seconds. That had to be a record. Naruto knew, without looking, that he was hiding under his bed. Perhaps he should have remembered his own reaction to the word 'doctor' at that age – or now, come to think of it.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his knees, which had gotten sore from their recent, frequent contact with the ground. Then, he grinned with evil glee. When Sasuke got his memories back, he would _**never**_ live this down.

* * *

_Prank. Prank. This is only a prank. _

Naruto kept repeating these words to himself as he walked up to the nurse's desk, appropriate documentation in hand.

Except _**she**_ was not Naruto, but Ayaya Azumi, wife of Ayaya Mōta and mother of Ayaya Kota. They were visiting a relative in Konoha, and staying in the Sunset Maple hotel since the relative lived in a small apartment and did not have room for them.

"I'm here to get my little Kota-chan a check-up," she told the receptionist in a voice as pleasant as falling maple leaves. "He was ill last night, and seems better now but I just want to be sure."

"Of course Azumi-san," the nurse stamped her form. "A medic-nin will be with you shortly. Please have a seat over there."

Azumi bowed and took her seat, bouncing Kota in her arms. "Are you okay Kota-chan?" The child nodded, seemingly unable to take his eyes off his beautiful mother's face.

Naruto resisted the urge to burst out laughing. Earlier that morning, much earlier like the time when it was still dark and Naruto was usually having dreams about never-ending seas of ramen but was instead cleaning up Sasuke's puke, an epiphany came to him.

If what he thought about Sasuke's amnesia was true, then he would have to go to the hospital anyway.

And so, after doing some thinking, a few clones could be seen slipping out into the night to stalk the nearby hotels, looking for just the right person from which to 'borrow' a visitor's badge.

After all, when he was (and still is) a prankster, he had memorised the process for visitors entering the village for a certain prank involving the Sexy Jutsu, some chickens, and a whole lot of green paint. Old man Hokage almost skinned him alive for that – it was rare that the citizens of Konoha got to witness their Hokage scream at the top of his lungs (while sporting a prominent nosebleed) at a naked blonde covered in feathers and lying in a pool of…

Sasuke was staring at him strangely, and Naruto suddenly felt the need to change his line of thought.

Visitor's identification forms were verified by Chūnin level attendants, after which the visitor was given a badge to wear around the village. Armed with that badge, a Henge using his Sexy Jutsu, and a common but effective excuse about how 'her' previous identification form was caught in a wayward fire jutsu, Naruto quickly procured an affidavit explaining the circumstances and managed to return the badge to its owner before she awoke.

Even with all the trouble, it was safer to transform into a visitor, because the shinobi and civilians of Konoha were too well known. He would get caught immediately.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered. Naruto had told him not to speak when they were in front of the healer.

"Yes?" Naruto thought it amusing that Sasuke blushed at the beautiful, feminine reply.

"After this, we'll go look for my Nii-chan, right?"

Naruto nodded, his eyes glancing to the side. "If you're up for it, I'll take you around the village and you'll see if you can smell him."

He knew very well they wouldn't find anything. When Sasuke's eyes lit up and he gave an eager nod, Naruto suddenly felt like the scum of the earth.

"Azumi-san?" a nurse called, and he was grateful to have an excuse not to look at Sasuke's eyes anymore.

The medic-nin was a gentle looking woman (Naruto suddenly realised that the only medic-nin he knew were women, and vaguely wondered why that was) with long dark hair similar to what he was sporting. Her bust size was left to be considered though, but then the only woman he'd ever met to compete with his Sexy Jutsu in that department was Tsunade. Hinata was a close second though…

"All right, let's see little Kota-chan…Azumi-san, are you all right? Your face is red."

"Uh, no, I'm fine," Naruto said quickly, handing Sasuke over and wincing when he realised that he had missed the doctor say her name while thinking about…other things. Staying in the Sexy Jutsu for long periods of time apparently gave him pervy tendencies.

He watched as the healer ran hands filled with glowing green chakra over Sasuke's body. Sasuke squirmed a little at the strange feeling, but was otherwise silent.

"Uh, I was hoping that you'd be able to check his head too." When the medic-nin glanced at him, he managed a small, sheepish smile. "Kota-chan has the habit of trying to crawl out of his crib. We managed it at home, but the crib in the hotel isn't tall enough. He bumped his head the other day and…it didn't look like anything but…"

That excuse was courtesy of another childcare book he had his clones read. Really, why had he never made use of books before? Some great stuff was in them.

"I see. Well, it seems that he's had a little bout of dehydration, and a slight stomach bug, but you've treated it well." Naruto fought the urge to grin at the little bubble of pride growing in his chest; it would give him away.

"He does have a slight head injury, but it's already healing up." She rubbed a glowing finger to the top of Sasuke's head, right between his (hidden) ears. Sasuke sighed at the soothing feeling. With a violent pop of the pride bubble, Naruto recognised the spot where he had bonked Sasuke on the head the previous day to check if he was a Henge.

Just how many things could he do wrong taking care of the kid?

"So tell me, Azumi-san, why is your son in a Henge?"

The question was asked casually, but Naruto knew a bunch of guards and an interrogation were waiting for him if he answered wrong.

"That's my husband," she began, fiddling with her long, brown-cotton skirt and thinking about bust-lines to add a blush to her cheeks. "Our son was born with a…deformity around his ears and, ahem, backside. It's being treated back home, and it's getting better, but he's still ashamed of it. So he uses that Henge to hide it."

The nurse looked at him, scrutinizing his story. Naruto tried not to swallow the growing lump in his throat.

"All right," she finally said slowly. "It's not doing any harm I suppose."

"Thank you." The fact that she did not recognise that Naruto himself was a Henge made him grateful that he went with the Sexy Jutsu. It had just proven itself as the stronger technique. In fact, if he did not give himself away by transforming right in front of people, he wondered how many people would actually be able to tell that–

"Azumi-san." The doctor's sharp tone instantly stopped Naruto's thoughts. He turned to her, fighting down his fear.

"What is it? Did you find something else?"

"Was your son exposed to any traumatic events recently?"

"No."

"I need you to think, Azumi-san. Think hard."

"I'm telling you, no. It was a peaceful journey from home to Konoha. And there's nothing before that."

"Does your husband go off with Kota-chan alone sometimes?"

Naruto told himself to answer like Azumi would. He had been trained in espionage tactics after all, even if he rarely used them. "Of course. He's his father."

"Then I think you need to have a talk with your husband. Your son is showing signs of amnesia."

Ha! Bingo!

"Amnesia?" Naruto responded as calmly as he could.

"Yes. It can be brought on by a number of things, like a hit to the head, or experiencing something traumatic. Even a jutsu could do the job, but I don't think that's the case here. His fall from the crib wasn't enough to do it either. Instead, he's experienced a very traumatic event that he's suppressing. Tell me, has he been acting strangely at all?"

"Not really. He can't talk, so…"

"Any crying at night? Nightmares?" Naruto shook his head. "Well, I'd like to observe him over the course of a few days to –"

"You can't," said Naruto sharply. At the healer's look, Naruto swallowed. "I mean, I need to talk it over with my husband first. We're not staying long in Konoha and…"

"Pardon me Azumi-san but this is your son's mental health we're talking about. He's only a baby. If something suddenly triggers the traumatic memory, the shock alone could kill him." Naruto's hearing stopped. That was a bad habit developing. The healer was still talking, and Naruto strained to hear her.

"We need to find out what the trauma was, and then slowly heal the regress. That could take months, or years depending on the size of the trauma. But first we need to lessen the chances of a sudden memory shock as much as possible."

"I – I understand…"

"Then, I'll take him to a different ward," she said, writing something on her clipboard. "Someone needs to stay with him at all times, preferably family so I'll arrange to have a message sent out to your husband and other relatives. Then you can organise shifts, if you so choose. There's a bed in there as well, so you can stay round the clock if you wish."

"I'll do that," said Naruto, dazed and not hearing. "Uh, just tell me one more thing. Other than the Henge my husband put, did you see anything else? Any other Henge?"

The healer stared. "Why would there be another –?"

"Could you just check? Please? It's important." The healer slowly raised her hands to the child again, pushing out green chakra from her palms. Naruto did not miss her pressing a button under her desk in the movement. He only had a few seconds left.

"No. No additional Henge."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, as he heard the wisp of clothes outside the door.

"Positive."

"Thanks."

In a burst of speed, he scooped up Sasuke and jumped through the window, just as the hospital door banged open. They were right on his heels. In a quick instance of concealment in an alleyway, he dispelled his Sexy Jutsu and threw the affidavit into a nearby dumpster.

A few minutes later, there were medic-nin guards searching all of Konoha for Ayaya Azumi. No one thought to question the orange blond leaping across rooftops with a strange bundle in his arms.

* * *

"Naruto you liar!" Naruto groaned and threw an arm over his eyes. "You promised."

"I know. But we can't go outside yet. Just give it another hour," Naruto carelessly gave him a timeframe as he went through a mental checklist of his 'Child Turning' technique theory.

Genjutsu: no.

Henge: no.

Amnesia: yes.

Child Turning technique…probably not.

It was so frustrating that Naruto growled. Then he took a deep breath. Then gave up trying to cool himself down and growled again.

What then? What happened to Sasuke? Naruto had looked at everything the library had to offer on the topic. Why was Sasuke a kid? Why did whoever did this even see the need to turn him into a kid? If he was strong enough to cause the type of amnesia that made Sasuke think his parents were still alive and that he still loved his Nii-chan (or that Itachi still loved him), why turn him into a child physically as well?

And seriously, _**what was with the cat thing**_?!

Naruto tried to calm down. He knew his thinking was wrong. Sasuke had amnesia. The Healer had said it wasn't caused by a bump to the head or a jutsu.

_He's experienced a very traumatic event that he's suppressing._

The boy had seen his entire clan slaughtered in his mind for 24 hours straight from a Tsukuyomi. Trauma? If Sasuke could get amnesia that way, his mind would have been shattered almost a decade ago. He might not have even become a shinobi, let alone one that remembered he had a brother to seek vengeance against.

But that was what the Iryō nin had said. Sasuke had experienced a trauma greater than the slaughter of his clan before his eyes, and got amnesia from his mind's desperate attempt to suppress the memory.

And somewhere along the way, he had been turned into a child/ cat/ kitten.

Naruto dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, trying to rub away his confusion. It never worked in the past, and did not surprise him now.

"You don't wanna help me find my Nii-chan." Sasuke, who had gotten tired after a bout of yelling at Naruto, seemed to have regained enough energy to accuse him.

"That's not true." _Yes it is._

"Then come _**o-on**_!" He dug tiny claws into Naruto's sleeve and pulled with all of his might. Naruto's arm slid off his eyes, and Sasuke fell back, tumbling head over heels right off the bed.

Naruto leaned tiredly over the side of the bed, and was surprised to find Sasuke crying. He was trying to hold it in, but the sniffling, drooping ears and watery eyes gave him away.

Naruto did the only thing that seemed right. He picked Sasuke up and hugged him to his chest, lying back on his pillow.

"I'll find him," Sasuke sniffled, trying to push himself away. "If you don't wanna help me, I'll go find him all by myself –"

"Sasuke? Are we friends?" Sasuke stopped sniffling and looked up at him with wide eyes and reddened cheeks.

"Friends?"

"Yeah."

Sasuke thought about it. Ever since he met Naruto, he had been nice to him. He had given him food. He had left him alone at first, but then took care of him all night when he was sick. He protected him from those bullies, and he made going to the doctor a lot less scary. Naruto … always looked out for him.

"I think so," said Sasuke after a while. "Yes, we're friends." Naruto smiled. Sasuke thought he looked sad, even though he was smiling.

"Then I won't leave you alone. If you want to go look for Itachi, we'll look for Itachi. I'll help you. I promise. And I never go back on my word, that's my nindō."

Sasuke stared at him. He knew Naruto was telling the truth.

And Naruto was. He had every intention of helping Sasuke look for Itachi. Finding him was a different story. Without his hatred, without Itachi, Sasuke was here in Konoha where he belonged. Naruto planned to keep things that way for a long time.

Perhaps he knew something about duplicity after all.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"We've got an hour to kill until we start looking. Why don't you tell me some more about Itachi?"

* * *

**A/N: What? You thought Naruto would be the perfect caretaker overnight? It's _Naruto._ Don't worry though. After this, he really won't ever leave Sasuke alone again.**

**Speaking of Sasuke... what do you think of him? Not that I'm pressuring you to like and review but, well, it's the only way I know what you guys are thinking.**

**This chapter was a bit more technical than the last one, but I really tried not to make it too boring and keep it moving at a good pace. Things will pick up a bit next time. **

**Here are some things I think I should clarify:**

**1) Why did Sasuke have so much trouble getting up on the toilet but he could still escape Naruto's 2nd story apartment? Two reasons: he either did get up on the seat, but was too small to actually be able to stay there long enough to - you know. And, well, when he tried he probably had to _go, _which usually makes it hard to climb things in the first place. However, because he's part cat, getting in and out of the window is fairly easy (that's kinda how they met in the first place).**

**2) Sexy Jutsu vs normal Henge: I know it's not canon, but I added a little boost to Naruto's Sexy Jutsu, which he discovers in this chapter. Think of it basically as the child to Tsunade's technique. It has the same durability as a normal Henge, but it's not as easy to detect (something Naruto never found out because he always transformed right in front of people) It lets him change into a more 'alluring' version of the woman he's copying. If you catch my drift.**

**Thank you to all the people who read, favourited and reviewed. Really, thank you. I never thought this would get the attention that it did, and seeing you guys' reactions really puts a smile on my face.**

**And a special thanks to Ser Serendipity for taking the time to check this out. If you've never read it, or did not feel sufficiently encouraged to read it when I mentioned it in the prologue, then please go read his story Not Sick. Go. NOW.**

**See you all next time. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sasuke was asleep, purring softly as his way of snoring every few seconds, his left cheek squished into Naruto's pillow and his bangs falling haphazardly across his face. One of his little canines was poking out from beneath his top lip and glinting in the dying sun. He looked peaceful. Adorable.

Why would he not? He had just finished telling Naruto all about his beloved Nii-chan.

Naruto, who lay beside him, was not so peaceful. He was staring up at the ceiling in shock. Who had Sasuke just told him about?

_**That**_ was _**Itachi**_?

A kind, gentle, perfect-yet-humble, cool and aloof older brother? The one who taught him techniques, the one who took walks with him throughout the village, the one who always poked his forehead and told him 'another time'? The one who _**loved**_ him?

_**That**_ was _**Itachi**_?

That _**couldn't be**_ Itachi.

Where was the murderer of the Uchiha clan? Where was the demon with kaleidoscope eyes that were the windows to hell? Sasuke had looked into those windows. Sasuke had _**seen**_. Sasuke had _**screamed**_, and fallen into a coma that lasted over a week.

And then Sasuke, who hated being alone, had cut all bonds with his friends and submerged himself in darkness for three years because that was what he thought was needed to match his brother.

And (Naruto swallowed at the terrible admission) it _**was**_. Naruto had known it when he faced Itachi's clone. His _**clone**_. He had never wanted to admit it, but he had seen his death in Itachi's eyes.

Naruto put his hand to his forehead. He was confused. So _**confused**_. Who the hell was Itachi? How could Sasuke reconcile these two different people enough to actually follow through with his revenge? How twisted did Sasuke need to make his thoughts to make it possible? Did he just throw away the images of the brother he loved? The only member of his family he had left?

Naruto groaned, clutching his hair, threatening to pull it out of his scalp. This was torture! He couldn't do it. He could not believe the two were the same person. And _**Sasuke**_… How did he even _**function**_? Naruto just _**heard**_ about it and his brain felt like it was splitting in half. Sasuke had _**lived**_ it! Sasuke had, at one point, _**loved**_ Itachi. So what then? Sasuke had killed his love?

Naruto's eyes opened in horror.

Sasuke had killed his love.

Killed his love.

It was the only way. For the sake of vengeance…Sasuke had…

Naruto moved, and in an instant his face was buried in Sasuke-kitten's hair, as he hugged the tiny thing so close to himself.

"Nawuto?" Sasuke mumbled sleepily. Naruto did not answer. "Nawuto, you're shaking." Naruto did not respond. "Nawuto, you're sca'wing me."

"I don't know what to do," Naruto's words were cushioned in his hair, but Sasuke heard them anyway. "I don't know what to do, Sasuke."

"Do about what, Nawuto?"

"You…have amnesia, Sasuke. Do you know what that means?"

"No."

"You forgot something…really, really bad that happened to you. It was something…something that Itachi did to you."

"Nii-chan did a bad thing to me?"

"Yes, Sasuke. But you've forgotten what it was. But it was really, really bad. And it made you really angry at Itachi. It made you so angry at him that you – you hated him. And you swore that you would kill him."

"…That's not true. There's nothing Nii-chan could do that would make me so angwy at him."

Naruto gasped. Sasuke sounded so…_**sure**_. So steady and clear headed. And there was no blankness, like in Orochimaru's hideout, when he had coolly looked down at them and proclaimed that their bonds were broken. Sasuke, _**baby**_ _**Sasuke**_ had merely stated a fact, with such surety that if he said he could swim the desert to Suna, Naruto would believe him.

Naruto brought his arms back a little to look at the kitten, who was staring back at him with dark, unwavering eyes.

"There is _**nothing**_ Nii-chan could do, Naruto."

"Sasuke… I know you feel that way, but you really were so angry that –"

"I don't care. That's then. This now." Where had he learned _**that**_? "I forgive him."

It had been a long time since Naruto had been stunned into silence. Much less from a kitten. Sasuke…was serious. You always knew when Sasuke really meant something. His eyes would become darker and deeper and immovable as a mountain, daring any and all, the whole world to challenge him. It was the type of passion that only the subject of Itachi could alight in him.

Itachi. Love him or hate him, he was always Sasuke's obsession. His joy, or his torment. His light, or his darkness.

Naruto spoke. "You don't care then, if you remember what Itachi did to you?"

Sasuke shook his head, the one ear that was not pressed to the pillow flopping with the motion. Naruto knew Sasuke was serious. But would this resolve, this feeling really last? If Sasuke's amnesia was cured…

_Knock. Knockity knock-knock. _

Iruka.

"Sasuke, go hide for a minute. I'll tell you when you can come out."

Sasuke nodded and darted away. Naruto gave him time to settle himself in his spot before he opened the door.

Iruka had simply come to return his book. He had left it at Ichiraku's. They talked and then Iruka turned to leave. Naruto was about to close the door…

"Oh! Can I see him?"

"Who?"

"Your kitten. The one you're taking care of."

Naruto froze. Iruka rolled his eyes and pushed himself in. "I just want to see him Naruto. I'll only take a moment and then you'll get right back to your ramen."

"Uh, uh you see, the thing is Iruka-sensei, he's not here right now."

"What do you mean?" asked Iruka, glancing under the bed. "He's missing?"

"Uh, no. He, uh, he steps out sometimes and…"

"Steps out? A kitten the age you're taking care of doesn't just step out. That is why you got that book, right?"

"You…read it?" _It's Iruka-sensei_, he scolded himself. _Of course he read it_.

"You left the window open, right? He must've climbed out. Baka, Naruto, I can see I should've gotten the book to you earlier. Kittens are very explorative, but they don't have the senses to return home yet. C'mon, I'll help you look for him."

"N-no, really sensei you don't have to –"

Something darted between the two at that moment. Something black and furry. It turned sharply and dived under Naruto's bed.

"Ah, is that him?" Iruka smiled, going down on his knees.

"N-no, don't sensei, you see, he's shy and –"

"Ouch!" Iruka recoiled. Naruto could see the crimson scratch marks on his palm.

"Sorry sensei," Naruto apologized sincerely, going for a small, tan medical pouch he sometimes carried on missions. A good ninja always had some first aid lying around. "I tried to tell you – he's shy and…"

"Not shy," Iruka winced as Naruto dabbed some rubbing alcohol on the wound and brought out a bandage. "Just attached to you. You weren't welcoming enough of me so that he could see I'm a friend."

At Naruto's fallen expression, Iruka quickly moved on. "But, this is quite a scratch. His claws are sharp, and he's strong. That means he's healthy. Which means you're doing a good job, Naruto. If you do things right, you might even be able to train him as a ninja cat."

When Naruto did not respond, Iruka took to looking around while the boy wrapped his wound. There were a lot of new shopping bags, some of them empty. He smiled at the assortment of fruits and vegetables Naruto had laid out on his countertop.

"Tuna."

"Hm?"

Iruka nodded at the countertop. "Did you buy any?"

"No."

"You should. Kittens love it." Naruto nodded and silence fell once again. It wasn't bad, though. Nor awkward. It was peaceful.

"Where's the litter box? And his basket?" asked Iruka after looking around and seeing those missing.

"He sleeps in my bed," said Naruto casually, never once having felt weird about sharing a bed with Sasuke-kitten. "And the litter box is…"

_Sasuke had gawked at the term litter box. _

"_Naruto, you're joking, right? I'm not savage."_

Though having no idea what Sasuke was talking about, he decided that getting a litter box would yield nothing good. So he had gotten a kiddie seat to attach to his toilet, and little stairs for him to climb up.

"It's in the bathroom." It wasn't a lie. But Naruto hated telling half-truths to Iruka as well. Though he thought he would never say this, he wished that Iruka would hurry up and leave. And yes, that sounded just as awful inside his head as it would have had he said it.

The wound was tied up, and Naruto led Iruka to the door.

"Naruto?" a strong hand clapped him on the shoulder, and a wide smile under a horizontal scar bloomed. "I'm proud of you."

Naruto blinked at him, a bewildered sort of half-smile on his face. "What for?"

Iruka looked upwards in thought. "I dunno. It just felt like the right thing to say."

The half-smile grew to maturity in a second. "Thanks sensei."

Then he was gone. Naruto stared at the door for a moment, letting his smile fade. Then he walked over to his bed and crouched beside it.

"Sasuke, you can come out."

The kitten emerged, only to get bonked on the head.

"Why'd you do that?!"

"Why did you scratch Iruka-sensei?" Naruto demanded. "He was bleeding."

Sasuke had the grace to look ashamed. "I didn't mean to," he said in a small voice that made Naruto feel like the villain. "But you try seeing a giant hand coming for you and not scratch it." Naruto had to admit that did make sense.

"Naruto? Was that really Iruka-sensei?"

"Yeah."

To his surprise, Sasuke smiled. "I knew it sounded like him! I came out to see, but I remembered that you told me to hide, so I moved too fast to see his face. He used to teach me at the Academy! Naruto, are we in Konoha?"

Naruto nodded slowly, immediately knowing that he should not have.

"I knew it! Naruto, this is where my family lives! My Nii-chan and Kaa-san and Otou-sama! They're here! I can show you where they live! Can we go there now? Please?"

"S-Sasuke, it's dark and –"

"Kaa-san must be so worried. But you're nice. If I tell her how you took care of me, she won't be angry."

"Sasuke…"

How could he tell him? How could he say that the Uchiha district was nothing more now than a pile of blood-soaked rubble and ruin, completely razed by order of the Hokage? Or that the only place of Uchiha name and heritage that was maintained – was their old clan cemetery that had seen a great number of additions over the course of a single night?

He couldn't.

Soon, a smiling, humming Sasuke, and a Naruto who prayed that something, somewhere would stop them from this journey, climbed out the window of Naruto's apartment, oblivious to Iruka-sensei down below them, or the sharp-nosed kunoichi with which he spoke so amiably.

* * *

Inuzuka Hana, or as Iruka still affectionately called her, Hana-chan, was part of the Nijū Shōtai's tenth platoon, and the twelfth team to return to Konoha; empty-handed and exhausted. But as much as she would love to just go home, make some chamomile and sleep in a huddle with her beloved ninken triplets, she knew it would not happen.

Reporting to the Hokage always came first.

From what she had heard about Asuma's death, she supposed she and the rest of her team, who were looking just as tired as she was, should be grateful to be alive.

But no, she was just drained. And maybe a little bitter. Really, how many years had she trained as a kunoichi? And here comes Team Ten, part of the original Rookie 9 and the same age as her _**little brother**_, and they take out two S-ranked members of Akatsuki! Granted, she was more a healer than a fighter, but she still had Inuzuka blood in her for Fang's sake!

Then she sighed. That attitude really would not do. When it came to the Akatsuki, things like pride and rivalry had no place. There was no concept of 'age' or 'rookie', no should or should not be, only mission success. Hana snorted. 'Success'. As though the little information her team managed to find would do any good now. Another team was already on its way to find Itachi Uchiha. She supposed it might help them, but only if they got the message fast enough…

Her thoughts silenced as her nose twitched again. They were inside Konoha now, walking the rapidly darkening streets. Clouds were heavy in the sky – another shower was coming. The heavy scent of rain did nothing to mask the small, warm scent coming from deeper inside the village. She had picked it up a few kilometres outside the village, but it was so faint that she thought it was an illusion. Or that she had put too much chakra to her nose and was whiffing that old headband again.

Apparently not. After all, she had trained as a kunoichi how many years?

Wordlessly, she turned left, detouring from the straight path to the Hokage with her ninken right behind her. Her teammates stopped for a moment, glanced at each other, then followed her as well, having been with her long enough to know when she was on a scent.

And what a strange, strange scent. It was identical to the old headband, but stronger, and _**alive**_. But it was not the smell of a man that she had expected. Rather…a child. Another scent too. One that, when she was still a small and foolish girl, would have instinctively made her nose wrinkle.

A cat.

Despite her confusion, Hana marched on, picking up the pace when she could see the somewhat rundown apartment complex that housed the scent –

"Hana-chan!"

She stopped. No one had called her that since…

"Iruka-sensei." She could not help but smile at the approaching man. She remembered him from the days she would pick Kiba up from the academy.

"Coming back from the Akatsuki tracking mission?" he asked. How he always seemed to know which ninjas were on which missions, Hana would never know. "How'd it go?"

"We got some information but nothing compared to Team Ten's work."

"Nonsense," Iruka said without hesitation and with utmost seriousness. "Everyone's work is important when it comes to the Akatsuki."

Hana smiled. The man could encourage a lone wolf to find a pack if he could speak ninken.

"So what are you doing here?"

Hana paused. She did not like telling people about the scents she smelled unless it was essential to a mission or she could confirm it herself. And this was one she needed to confirm. If she misspoke, there would be trouble.

"Just thought we'd take the long way around. Cool off before heading to the Hokage you kno –"

"You don't have to lie to me," said Iruka placidly. Hana blinked. Iruka suddenly looked embarrassed and put a hand behind his head. "Sorry. I'm around kids so much I guess I'm just sensitive to it. And Kiba sort of looks the same when he lies."

Hana did not know whether to be insulted or embarrassed, but soon decided on the latter.

"W-well, I…"

"You don't have to tell me," he said with a wave of his hand. "I was just visiting a friend. Don't let me keep you –"

"You're bleeding." Hana did not have the feral appearance or disposition of her mother and brother, but her bluntness at times was nothing to shame her clan.

Iruka froze, then looked at his hand, where a small patch of red stained the white cloth.

"Oh. Guess the scratch was deeper than I thought."

"Let me take a look," she had already taken his hand, and ripped the bandages with one longer-than-it-should-be nail.

She stared at the scratch, filled with shimmering droplets of new blood that slowly darkened as they oxidized in the cool night air.

_This is… _

"Iruka-sensei, where did you get this scratch?"

Iruka looked sheepish. "Naruto's kitten scratched me."

Yes, the same scent that she had followed to these apartments was in the scratches. But…wait…

"Naruto? _**Kitten**_?"

"Doesn't seem like the cat type eh? But the thing's grown attached to him, and I think it goes both ways."

Naruto having a kitten did surprise her (Kiba had always insisted that the animal for Naruto was a dog, and not those, ahem 'damned slimy toads'), but the admission that a _**kitten**_ made a scratch like this shocked her.

"Um, it's not infected is it? Naruto put alcohol –"

"No, no. It's not infected," said Hana quickly. "It's just…this is quite a scratch for a kitten to make."

"I said the same thing. He's really raising it well. I told him that it could even be a ninja cat."

Hana chuckled. "Ninja cat? Is he an Uchiha now?" she could not help remarking. Though Iruka laughed, she was only half-joking. Was that the answer to the scent she had been following? Did this all lead to Naruto?

"Why is Naruto here by the way? I heard the team to find and capture the Uchiha brothers left two days ago."

"Naruto…got taken off the mission."

That stunned her. "Why? Tsunade-san wouldn't –"

"Hana-chan? That's a long story and…"

"Then you can tell me on the way to the Hokage tower."

"Eeh?"

"I need to show Tsunade-san this scratch of yours."

"Wh-why?"

"Because," Hana smirked. The scent had long left the apartment building and was now heading over to the ruins of the Uchiha compound. Every so often, Hana's eyes caught a flash of blond glowing in the moonlight, "Naruto has found himself a very special breed of ninja cat."

* * *

"You're a really good ninja, Naruto." Naruto wondered if Sasuke would ever know how long he's waited to hear acknowledgement like that from him.

"Thanks, Sasuke." Naruto barely recognised his own voice. When was the last time he had sounded so emotionless?

"Not as good as my Nii-chan, though." Sasuke took Naruto's silence as an opportunity to continue, "He gave me a ride on his back over rooftops once. When he landed, I didn't even hear him, and I barely felt it. And we went so fast it was like we were really flying." Again, Naruto did not answer. "But maybe it's because you're bigger. I mean, you don't hear an ant even when it falls off a –"

"Sasuke."

"Hmm?"

Sasuke looked up at him from where he was nestled in Naruto's jacket. His ears and hair were blown back from the wind, and when he looked up at Naruto, his dark eyes seemed to glow with inner light. Naruto thought it was enchanting.

"Are we…?" _Let's go back._ "Are we still going the right way?"

Sasuke smiled. "It's just a little further. You can stop to rest if you're tired."

"I'm not. I was just asking."

"Oh. You know, I've never seen Nii-chan get tired, not even in training. I bet he could run for three whole days without stopping!"

_You really love him this much,_ thought Naruto. _What would have happened if you really fought him, Sasuke? If you had fought him and killed him? I knew you wouldn't have been happy, but…it would've been…much, much worse than that, wouldn't it?_

"We're here!" said Sasuke, as they came up to tall grey walls and an archway decorated with a large Uchiha symbol. "It's bigger than I…remember…"

Naruto stepped inside the arch and came to a stop.

Destroyed.

Rotting.

Ugly.

Once proud. Once beautiful. Once prosperous. Once alive.

It was still alive. Naruto spotted several rats and other vermin quivering in the holes and spaces that only tons of material from broken homes and busted shops could provide. Rubble, debris and garbage was piled as high as five Narutos standing on each other's shoulders, and stretching the span of the entire district.

And the smell. A mix of urine and faeces, all perfumed together with the cloyingly sweet stench of rotting wood; it made Naruto's head spin and pushed him a few steps back.

Sasuke, who had been unnaturally silent for the few minutes it took for the sight to sink in, just as silently fell out of Naruto's jacket, landing on his feet only because of inbred reflexes.

"What…happened?"

_We shouldn't have come._

"What…_**happened**_?"

_I'm so sorry, Sasuke._

"Where is everyone?"

_Gone. Dead because of Itachi's madness. _

"Kaa-san! Otou-sama! _**Nii-chan**_!"

_Itachi did this. Itachi emptied this place. And I was __**confused**__ about him?_

"Itachi...? _**Itachi!**_"

"Sasuke –"

"The cemetery." Naruto froze, as Sasuke turned to him with glowing eyes that glittered with unshed tears. "Nii-chan's at the cemetery."

"How do you know?" With a sudden taste of dread, "Can you smell him?"

Sasuke flinched and a few tears escaped. No, he could not. But hope was all Sasuke had left now.

"He's there!" Sasuke said again and ran off, this time on all fours. Naruto had to run after him, passing the lone patrol that had been knocked out by the clone he sent ahead of them.

"Sasuke, slow down!" They were heading towards the old Uchiha training grounds which, having been left unattended for near a decade, were overgrown and had not much difference to the wilder forests that surrounded Konoha. A cloud was passing over the moon, and Naruto had to squint to keep from losing the little black kitten in the undergrowth.

Then a bat flew past him and he involuntarily blinked. The kitten was gone.

"Sasuke, say something!" he called. "Tell me why Itachi would be in the cemetery."

Sasuke spoke and Naruto veered right, dodging around a large, mossy rock only to trip on the rusty kunai lodged in a target behind it.

Naruto cursed and stood, paused, then looked at the kunai that, with years' worth of rust, had bonded to both target and ground and had only shifted a little from its formerly upright position.

It looked like someone had just stabbed the thing into the earth. "What kinda crazy throw –?"

"Naruto? Can you hear me?"

"C-coming!" For some reason, that kunai freaked him out. "Keep talking, I'm catching up to you."

"Nii-chan liked to walk in the cemetery sometimes." Well that was just lovely. "I asked him why. He said that when he starts getting too full of himself, walking through the tombstones and seeing the names of dead Uchiha who were stronger than him brings him back down to earth. Because it reminded him that even the greatest die the same as the nameless."

"I see." How did one statement send him into a spiral of confusion about Itachi again?! The rubble, remember the rubble. The destruction. The emptiness. All those homes were once full of people and life, now nothing more than mouldy boards and rat-infested –

"We're here!"

Naruto looked. Well, it was a cemetery. Not the same as the one for Konoha's heroes, with their neat and uniform rows, and polished square tomb markers.

The Uchiha cemetery, was a classic. Since most of the clan was cremated upon death, the tombstones that littered the cemetery were nothing more than memorials.

They were very normal tombstones; the worst off had vines winding around them, as though a spirit or two still clung to its tiny semblance of life. Most of the tombs were the standard domed slabs, some had more ornamented tops like curves or flames and a few rare stones (probably belonging to the more well-to-do of the clan) were in the shape of the clan symbol's fan, or great tongues of fire, or even both.

Like the entrance to the district, the cemetery also had an arched entryway, blocked by a heavy, black wrought-iron gate whose top spikes were crafted into fans and flames.

The gate was not rusted – the job of the highest quality black paint – but it was still covered in vines, making it look eerie. The cold wind that made the leaves whisper secrets to the night did not help with Naruto's rapidly failing nerves.

"Sasuke I don't think –"

The kitten had already pushed at the gate, managing to open it just wide enough for him to slip through.

Naruto sighed and pulled out a kunai to tackle the deadbolt and chain that prevented him from doing the same.

He thought he heard Sasuke gasp, but dismissed it as the wind. Then he heard it again, a strangled cry of despair.

"Auntie? Uncle?"

Naruto gave up on the gate and prepared to jump over the arch. "Sasuke, stay where you are, I'm coming to get you!"

"Y-Yashiro-san? Tekka-san… Inabi-san…"

Naruto landed on the other side of the gate and manoeuvred through the old, cracked, and grimy tombstones. Though rundown, however, the cemetery was not as overgrown and wild as the Uchiha training grounds. They were abandoned more recently.

"Sasuke?"

_Sasuke… Had he…?_ Naruto suddenly felt his head spin. The sadness of a twelve-year old Sasuke coming here and cleaning all these tombstones by himself on a lonely afternoon…was too much.

"Sasuke, we're leav –"

"Kaa-san. Otou-sama."

Naruto ran, not caring that he bumped into tombstones and even knocked some of the smaller ones over. He ran to the only sepulchre in the entire cemetery. It was an impressive structure – a veritable building of white marble that fought to gleam despite three years' worth of grime, elements and plant growth.

As he approached, he realised the sepulchre's four corners were august pillars, their tops connected by heavy arches. Nestled in the centre, like a massive egg in a small nest, was an Uchiha symbol standing tall and proud in a bed of dancing flames.

The only 'door' to the structure was a removable slab of marble, covered with shining black ink spiralling into seal script, and making a hole only large enough for a casket.

This was obviously the resting place for the clan heads. Apparently they were not cremated like the others.

In front of the tomb, also in marble but black as the surrounding night was a stone, a lopsided obelisk similar to the memorial in front of which Kakashi always stood, but with far fewer names.

Sasuke was staring with glowing eyes at those names, swaying lightly as though in a trance.

"Sasuke?"

"Kaa-san…" Sasuke repeated, his voice shaking with hollowness, "Otou-sama…"

For the second time that night, Naruto asked himself why he let Sasuke come here. Even though he already knew the answer.

In thinking about Itachi – which he had done the entire time Sasuke was asleep, and up until they arrived to this rotting piece of flesh in the cancer of Konoha's past – he came to a singular truth about him.

Itachi was a liar.

Whether he had truly hated Sasuke, or truly loved him, he had still lied to Sasuke for the majority of his life.

Naruto then realised that he had lied to Sasuke a fair number of times too.

This put him on equal footing with Itachi.

That single fact was almost enough to make him take a kunai to his own deceitful tongue. He was not a liar, and most of all, he did not want to lie to Sasuke.

So he brought him to the truth. And now he stood watching, as little Sasuke began to breathe harder and deeper, until he retched and vomited in front of the memorial.

Naruto had him in his arms in the next instant. The kitten was shaking and lay weakly against him as his mouth was wiped clean with a black sleeve.

"Naruto." Naruto was slightly surprised. He had expected baby talk, but Sasuke's voice was steady for all the tears spilling down his cheeks. "What happened?"

"Sasuke…you see –"

"No lies." Sasuke looked up at him, his eyes still wet but suddenly piercing. "Tell me the truth."

"Are you sure?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Your clan's dead, Sasuke. You're the only one left in all of Konoha."

The kitten spasmed with the wailing scream of emotion that escaped him. Naruto felt he could rip Itachi's heart out with his bare hand if he suddenly appeared before him. "Kaa-san and Otou-sama too?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. He looked down to meet Sasuke's gaze that glowed white in the emerging moonlight. The cloud was passing, leaving everything in a strange in-between of shadow and light.

But Naruto could see clearly. In this strange, ambivalent lightshow, the one constant were the crimson glints of hatred sparking in Sasuke's eyes. But these sparks were only tiny pinpricks that had not grown, and could still be put out.

"Who did it?"

"I don't know." He said it immediately, before he could give himself a chance to reconsider.

The sparks were gone, washed away by the new sheen of tears over Sasuke's eyes. He was crying again. He was sad again. And the hatred was gone, quenched with water from the spring of lies.

"I – I didn't see Nii-chan's name on the stone," Sasuke hiccupped. Naruto said nothing; playing the hypocrite had rendered him mute. "He's not here."

Hope, Naruto realised, always made Sasuke's voice sound so sweet and innocent, and _**strong**_.

No, not hope alone. It was the hope of seeing Itachi.

Thinking of _**Itachi**_ always made Sasuke strong. Whether that strength lay in the darkness of revenge or the light of hope, Sasuke always reached it with his brother as a guide.

And even in the throes of grief, that strength came ringing through with the mere mention of him.

Naruto had a bad feeling, one that he had had quite a few times before. It was the kind of feeling that predicted future foolish, reckless and dangerous action.

It was a strange feeling, really. A thrumming heat blooming in the stomach, a quickening of the heart, a humming energy that spread to all of his limbs. And yet, it was also a dark dread in his gut and a cold, thick slime in his throat and lungs.

In short, it was a rush of adrenaline for the coming action, mixed with a massive fear over what the outcome of this action would be.

Because, contrary to what everyone and anyone who knew Naruto and had seen him fight would believe, the Number One Knuckleheaded Ninja of Konoha did not enjoy leaping into death's den, or facing down impossible odds with nothing but guts and a final Rasengan made with the last few wisps of his chakra.

Therefore, he always solidly classified this feeling that predicted such an event as a bad one. And in addition to its many unwelcome traits, this feeling always had the sickening habit of being correct.

Naruto … no longer knew what to do about Itachi.

And that scared him.

Because it should have been obvious. Stay away. Get back. Fight to survive and flee at the slightest opportunity.

Until only two short days ago, when Itachi had become the only link to Sasuke, those were the three rules that created a mantra Naruto had happily followed for the last three years.

But now…the mantra was becoming foreign to him. Alien. Rules so strange that they were difficult to follow – no – the thought of following them neared unthinkable.

"Itachi is alive."

_What…am I doing?_

Sasuke gasped. It sounded like a laugh. With tears clogging his throat, it was as close to a true laugh as he could get.

"He's not in Konoha, Naruto. I knew it for a while, because he would've come get me by now. He can smell a lot better than me. I knew he wasn't here…but I hoped…"

"I know you did." Naruto felt awful. He felt sick. His stomach was churning and in the cool night air he was sweating. His mind was swirling, and he was dizzy.

Itachi was _**guilty**_. Why couldn't he tell Sasuke the truth?

Why, with each rising pound of his beating heart, was he more and more certain that the rules concerning Itachi _had to change?_

He did not want to lie to Sasuke anymore. So what was he _**doing**_? Keeping him in Konoha? Protecting him from hatred?

Protecting his love for his Nii-chan? How long would that last? Why would he want such a fake love to last –?

_That's not true. _

'_What?'_

_There's __**nothing**__ Nii-chan could do that would make me so angwy at him._

'_No.'_ Naruto slowly brought a hand to his head, squeezing around a clump of hair. _'No. That love you had…it was never fake. You really loved him. But after the massacre, you killed your love and hated him, and vowed to kill him.'_

_I don't care. That's then. This now._

'_But Sasuke…'_

_I forgive him._

'_Would you forgive even this, Sasuke? You didn't last time. Would it…__**could**__ it be different now?'_

Naruto's chest shuddered as he inhaled deeply. Sasuke looked up at the motion, and he met the kitten's gaze.

He could not lie anymore. But he could not tell Sasuke the truth either.

Not the whole truth.

"Sasuke. Itachi's coming back to Konoha."

Sasuke gasped again and stared up at him with large, frightened eyes.

"Are you _**sure**_?"

"Yes. My friends are on a mission right now to find him and bring him back. They'll definitely do it."

Sasuke tilted his head. One ear dropped while the other stood upright. "Really?" He was sceptical.

"Sasuke. I'm your friend, right?"

"Yes."

Naruto smiled. "If I said I'll do something, you'd trust me to do it, right?"

"Yes."

"It's the same with my friends. They said they'll bring Itachi back. I trust them."

Sasuke slowly blinked at him. His eyes widened, and Naruto saw a single spark of light.

Hope.

Sasuke believed him.

"Naruto? When Nii-chan gets here, you'll take me to see him right away, right? I don't want to wait for him to get me."

_Stay away. __Get back__… __Fight to survive... ...__then flee at the slightest..._

"Sure."

Sasuke stood in his arms, placing his hands squarely on Naruto's chest and fixing the blond with a dark gaze of such intensity that the owl roosting on a tree branch a few meters above Naruto's head suddenly stiffened.

"Promise me, Naruto. Promise me that, no matter what happens, you will take me to see my Nii-chan. _**Promise**_."

Naruto did not even take a second to answer.

"I promise." Then the corner of his lip suddenly jerked upwards and he squinted his eyes in a somewhat strained version of his true joyous grin. "Actually, y'know Sasuke, (_the rules have to change – I – no, __**we need**__ to get some answers_) I wanna see Itachi too. So I'll make sure that we both get to see him." He gave the thumbs up sign, and his strained smirk became a little truer.

"It's a promise."

Through the tracks of grief-laden tears on his face, Sasuke smiled. It was small, and shaky, but to Naruto, it was real and that was enough. Sasuke would be all right.

The strain disappeared, and Naruto smiled too.

He was not a Hyūga, an Inuzuka, a Yamanaka or a Nara. He was an Uzumaki. All he had were his guts and his instincts.

The fact that he was _**unsure**_ about Itachi, even when faced with all he had done, with all of the graves he had filled, it scared him.

He believed in his friends. But what if Itachi escaped them? If they came home and Itachi was not with them?

What would he do then?

He would still want – no, _**need**_ – to meet the Uchiha face to face. And, not needing to say 'I promise' to be bound by his word, he had not once but thrice promised Sasuke that he would take him to his Nii-chan.

The S-ranked missing nin who, from all that Naruto understood, hated and still wanted to kill Sasuke. Not to mention the man who also wanted to drag the Kyūbi out of Naruto's body, _**murdering**_ him in the process.

The feeling suddenly returned. The one that (accurately) predicted future foolish, reckless and _**dangerous**_ action.

Naruto endured it.

He could not run. His name gave more than enough explanation for the reason.

He could not stay away. Not now. Not after he had seen Sasuke's love, and knew of the love Itachi once had. Naruto _**could not**_ accept that it was all fake. No one could fake such a simple yet powerful bond.

Naruto knew from experience. And even Sasuke had admitted to the same once… a long time ago.

He could not flee. He could fight, if he had to.

But most important, most binding of all. He _**would**_ _**not**_ – would NEVER – break his promise to Sasuke.

So, he did the only thing his guts and instincts could, and would ever tell him to do.

_Collide with him head-on. Don't back down – never give up – and fight him to hell and back until he starts telling the truth. _

Sasuke slumped in his arms, nodding faintly to Naruto's promise, and maybe sealing his own determination to see his brother as strongly as he could. He turned and looked at the memorial stone one last time.

"Can we go home now, Naruto?"

Naruto tucked the kitten into his jacket and zipped it up, protecting him from the cold night air. As he turned to leave, he felt a wet spot grow in the middle of his shirt and tiny claws digging into his stomach.

Lying to Sasuke about his family would not have done him good. Naruto knew that. He just wished he could have spared Sasuke just a little bit more.

He sighed and zipped up the jacket further. Seems the cold would be the only thing he managed to protect Sasuke from that night.

* * *

"Itachi Uchiha is sick?" Tsunade's eyes widened at this news, delivered to her by Hana Inuzuka, her three ninken, the rest of her team and a very nervous-looking Iruka. She wondered if she should tell Hana that Iruka was beginning to bruise from the iron grip she kept up on the man's wrist.

Nah, she decided with a shrug. She could always heal it later, along with those nasty scratches on his palm.

"Yes. We found traces of his blood with saliva remnants in them along with traces of sputum. We believe he is suffering from some sort of lung disease. We investigated several apothecary sales records, and found that his purchases correspond with ingredients or medicines that would relieve these symptoms. However, the locations of these purchases were so haphazardly spread that we could not identify a consistent pattern. Our investigation ended there."

Tsunade nodded, absorbing the information. "Team 10 of the Nijū Shōtai, you've done excellent work. Jin!" One of the seemingly omnipresent Anbu inside and around the Hokage's office appeared and landed without a sound. Hana knew he leaped from somewhere, but everything in the office was unchanged.

"Send this information to Kakashi's team as fast as possible. They can only use it if they get it in time. Go!"

The man leaped again; Hana swore he should have hit the ceiling, but again the office was left undamaged.

"Again, that was excellent work," Tsunade nodded. "You are dismissed."

The rest of Hana's team and Iruka turned to leave, but stopped for different reasons: the team because their leader was not following, and Iruka because if he made another step, his shoulder would dislocate. He tugged a little at Hana's grip; the woman did not budge.

"Tsunade-san, I would like to speak to you on a different matter."

"One that involves Iruka?"

"Yes."

"I see… The rest of you can go then."

Reluctant, but not daring to disobey their Hokage, they trudged out the door, leaving Hana, her ninken, Iruka, Tsunade and a silent Jiraiya alone in the office.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Hana marched up to Tsunade's desk, tugging Iruka along for the ride, and showed Tsunade his palm.

"These scratches are what I wanted to show you. What do you make of them?"

Tsunade blinked. She peered closer, her nose almost touching the dried blood around the wound, and blinked again.

"A kid with sharp nails," was the dully given diagnosis.

"Exactly," Hana nodded, relieved that her hunch had been right after all.

Iruka looked flabbergasted. "What?"

"Take a look for yourself."

Automatically obeying Tsunade's words, Iruka stared at the wound. His jaw dropped. "You're right. I didn't look at it before, but this looks like the kind of scratches Kiba used to make, only smaller."

Hana nodded briskly. "I thought so too. They're about the same size as my little brother used to make when he was two, though the shape is a little different. And from the depth, this scratch was made with purpose. It was no accident."

"So what?" was the bored question from Tsunade.

Hana took a breath. "Well, Iruka said he got this from _**Naruto's kitten**_."

Tsunade's eyebrows, previously slack from drowsiness, now snapped to a thin line above her eyes. But the next words she spoke stunned them both.

"Naruto _**again**_?"

"Again?"

"What do you mean again?"

Iruka leaned forward, his nervous and bewildered expression falling swiftly in the path of growing concern.

Tsunade and Jiraiya glanced at each other. Finally, Jiraiya sighed and came off the windowsill that was previously his couch.

"Naruto's been acting strangely ever since he got taken off the mission."

Iruka stiffened. Tsunade did not miss the quick dart of anger directed at her, though Iruka's eyes managed to hide it with impressive swiftness.

"He tried to escape," Tsunade began, meeting his gaze. "Right after the team left, he tried to follow. I stopped him at the gate. And I hated having to do it."

Iruka blinked. "Then why not let him go?"

"Because Naruto would have hindered that mission. The risk of him losing his temper and subsequently losing control of the Kyūbi's chakra is always there, but never so high as when the subject of the mission is Sasuke."

Hana flinched, but no one noticed.

"The goal of the mission was to capture Itachi and use him to lure Sasuke. However, as the cause of Sasuke's pain and desertion, he is the perfect catalyst to Naruto's anger. He would invoke the Kyūbi's wrath, and would likely use the commotion to escape or to capture Naruto himself. People would get hurt. _**My**_ people. After that was pointed out to me…I couldn't let him go." She gritted her teeth, and shut her eyes so tight for a moment that her forehead was in danger of being imprinted with the wrinkles that were true to her age. "And I _**hate it**_."

Iruka reeled back a little, his eyes widening. He was thinking of an argument to raise in Naruto's defence, but just as Tsunade had discovered before him, all of them were weak and insufficient. In a mirror image of defeat, Iruka bowed his head.

"I understand," he said in a soft monotone that reminded Tsunade of Naruto's unnerving blankness. "I hate it too."

Then he looked up and gave her a small, apologetic smile, and she was strangely soothed.

_He really is Naruto's big brother._

"I think Naruto's still upset, but what d'you mean he's been acting weird?"

Tsunade laced her fingers beneath her chin and studied him. "He hasn't been to see me."

"I don't –"

"Since his last attempt to follow the group two days ago, he hasn't tried to escape again, and he hasn't come here to try to convince me to let him go. In fact, he's been relatively well behaved. You know him best Iruka. Don't you think that's strange?"

"Yes," Iruka said, scolding himself for not seeing it before. "Definitely."

"Seeing as he went missing a day after his attempt, I thought that he had tried –"

"He was in the library," Iruka supplied blankly. Tsunade stared. Iruka stared back.

Then blinked.

Then noticed that she was searching for signs of any recent blows to his skull. "I'm serious! He was in the library all day that day!" She was still searching.

"You can summon the librarian and ask her yourself," Iruka suggested, trying not to sound as offended as he really was.

Tsunade did just that.

"Yes, he came in early that morning, settled down with some books and scrolls and a few shadow clones, and then I didn't hear a peep from him for the rest of the day," the librarian, Kanade, reported, albeit with a blush, a nervous twirling of her pen and eyes that could not seem to stay on the Hokage.

"I see," Tsunade still sounded disbelieving. Kanade noticed.

"I was shocked as well. I worked in that library for ten years and, honestly, I did not think Naruto even knew Konoha _**had**_ a library." Tsunade raised her eyebrow at the absence of an honorific, but said nothing. "Honestly, the number of times that boy walked past the building and did not even acknowledge it, like it just did not exist. Then he just bursts in, all bright and orange, and starts asking for books like it's the most normal thing. I could call it the shock of my life."

"What books did he ask for?"

"Kittens." The entire room stared. Kanade blinked. "I-I'm serious. I remember people's reading selections very well, a curse and a gift. The first thing he asked for was a book on, in his exact words, 'cats, uh, baby cats'. Then he asked for a book on 'when you forget big chunks of your life' – I pointed him to the amnesia section. And then he asked for jutsu that turns people into kids. Or cats. Or both. I have to admit, that last one almost shorted out my pacemaker."

"Y-yeah," Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, a mild showing of the turmoil in her mind. What on earth was Naruto…? "Kanade, are you sure that was Naruto?"

"Nope." Tsunade blinked. "How can I be? I don't have a drop of shinobi blood or chakra, and I can't tell a Henge from a paper bag. You can ask Iruka-san though. He came and picked him up."

"It was him."

Iruka, over the many years of his teaching career, must have seen hundreds of Henge. If anyone would know, it was him.

"I see… Thank you Kanade. If there's nothing else, you can –"

"Actually, he came back."

"Who?"

"Naruto."

"To the library?"

"Yes, later that night at around… 10:33? Oh, and don't worry about my hours Hokage-sama. I live in an apartment in the library's upper floors, so that place is my home as literally as it is figuratively.

"Anyway, he came in, all in a rush, and asked for a book on children's illnesses. He was so frantic that I gave him the most expansive book we had and he _**jumped**_ out of the building – one of those ninja leaps – _**while reading it**_. If I didn't know any better, I coulda sworn he had a dying child at home or something." She said it with a laugh, but Iruka swayed a little on his feet. The scratches on his palms started stinging terribly, reacting to his clenching fists.

"He made one last visit, early the next morning before the sun was even up. A book on overall childcare. I asked him if he wanted to be a paediatric medic-nin, but he didn't answer. I think he was as sleepy as I was," she chuckled.

"Is that all?" Tsunade asked, her voice calm and steady, belying the droplets of sweat gathering on her forehead.

"Yep, that's everything," said Kanade cheerfully, her initial nervousness long forgotten. Talking about her library's newest and brightest visitor seemed to reenergize her own innate cheerfulness. "I'm dismissed then?"

"Yes. Thank you for your help."

"No problem. Good night everyone."

When she closed the door behind her, Iruka collapsed to his knees.

"A child…" _How did he not see it before?_ "A _**child**_?!"

"Iruka, calm down," said Tsunade, holding a healing palm of chakra to his forehead as Jiraiya got a chair for him. "I'm sure it's not what you're thinking."

"Then what is it?! That night, he was asking me questions about kids too. If he was in the library all day, then the child would have gotten sick due to dehydration. That's why he rushed out of Ichiraku's. Dehydration's simple enough to treat, but Naruto wouldn't have known that. So he panicked and went to the only place he knew for information."

"I think you're right, but that still doesn't mean –"

"How could Naruto do this? He's still got his whole life ahead of him." He suddenly gasped and grabbed Tsunade's shoulders. "Hokage-sama, I'll help him any way I can, so please let him continue to be a shinobi! If you took that away from him, he'd –!"

"Iruka-sensei!" Iruka froze, the added honorific seeming to snap him out of his hysteria. "If you'd calm down for a moment, you'd see there are quite a few things that don't add up!" Iruka blinked with wide eyes. He glanced down at the floor, taking deep breaths as Tsunade's healing chakra finally broke through, cooling and clearing his brain. With a start, he looked up and jolted back when he realised that he was still holding her shoulders.

"I – I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I – I don't normally…"

"I know," Tsunade smiled. "Naruto's very special to you. I know that."

"I just…" he stumbled back into the chair and took sips of the water offered to him. "When I thought of Naruto having a child I…"

Jiraiya finally spoke – "No need to worry sensei, Naruto barely even knows how to –" – and was quickly silenced (and almost incapacitated) by a whack to the head from Tsunade.

Cold to Jiraiya's complaints and pleas of innocence, Tsunade went to her desk and retrieved a plain, manila folder, which she handed to Iruka.

"This is…"

"Yes. Ayaya Azumi insisted so vehemently that she was innocent that Anbu did a more thorough investigation. They found an affidavit concerning her in a dumpster near the hospital. When dusted for fingerprints, only one set stood out."

"Naruto," Iruka whispered.

"I spoke to the healer personally. While _**that**_ Azumi was suspect, the child was real. He was suffering from amnesia."

Iruka gasped. "Naruto…"

"Right. He asked for books on amnesia. And now with your and Kanade's testimonies, the pieces are fitting together."

"But I still don't understand."

"Neither do I," Tsunade admitted. "If Naruto is caring for a child with amnesia, why didn't he just come to me? Or let him stay in the hospital?"

"We can't forget about the kitten thing either," said Jiraiya, still rubbing the area around a nasty lump poking out of the crown of his white mane.

"Yeah. I know the scratch is human, but I swear what did it was a kitten. Though, now that I think on it, it was a little big for a kitten."

While the three speculated, Hana, who had stayed quiet since the librarian showed up, finally stepped forward. Her nose, and the noses of her ninken who lay docilely on the floor around her feet, had been following the strange scent that had led her to Naruto's door.

Following as it travelled to the old Uchiha district, a little further to their cemetery, and then back to Naruto's.

She had confirmed it as much as she could. Now was the time to speak.

"Excuse me," she braced her shoulders as three heads turned to look at her, "I think I might have the final piece to this puzzle. As the only able-nosed Inuzuka in the village right now, it makes sense that it was not picked up on earlier. But I've been following a certain scent since I came into the village, and it was a scent that led me right to Naruto's…"

* * *

**A/N: Oh how I _labored_ over that graveyard scene. The darn thing just refused do what I wanted it to do. I hope it's sufficiently suffocating... I was kinda going for that.**

**A few notes:**

**The Uchiha District: Yes. I know. The Hokage did not order the destruction of the Uchiha District. Why I wrote it like that is because... I made a mistake. You see, when I wrote about the district, I used the scene where Sasuke and Orochimaru go there to revive the dead Hokage. The district was utterly busted up then. I thought it was an inexplicable action, so I made a little plot about it. Then... about a month later... I watched Pain destroy Konoha and I had one thought. _Whoops._ Yeah, so the district (and everything else) was destroyed when Pain threw down that giant Shinra Tensei. And a recovering Konoha just never got around to fixing it up again. By the time I realized this, a busted up district kinda stuck in my story. So... A little deviation from canon. Hope it's forgivable. Well, this whole story's a deviation from canon so...**

**Sasuke's size: A guest review asked about this so I thought I should clarify. Honestly, when this story was still only in my head, I had trouble deciding how big or how old to make Sasuke. I finally decided on a baby-not-baby kind of thing. Sasuke is bigger than a cat but smaller than a one year old. With his ears standing straight up he reaches about half of Naruto's calf.**

**Uchiha Cemetery: I got the image for it from the ending theme 'Black Night Town'. One of the pictures showed kiddie Sasuke standing in front of a patch of tombstones. I thought 'huh, that looks ordinary'. The tombstones I mean, not the... Anyway, there you have it.**

**Thank you everyone who read and reviewed. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**See you all next time. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Naruto had gotten the wrong milk. Seemed kittens could not drink cow's milk, so the six pack of fresh milk would probably stay in his fridge till it spoiled. It was a real shame.

The six pack of kitten's milk, on the other hand, looked, smelled… and tasted delicious. Sasuke would really like it. It was expensive, but then, performing back-up duties for an S-class mission, as well as almost single-handedly taking out an S-ranked missing-nin made Gama-chan a very fat froggy.

The cow's milk was probably the reason Sasuke had gotten diarrhoea in the first place. Though, Sasuke's human side should have been able to handle cow's milk, right? But then, Sasuke's cat side hadn't kicked in with the whole litter box debacle. And Sasuke didn't lick himself clean, and had no problems with baths, or water in general…

Naruto shook his head, deciding in that moment that he would figure it out as he goes.

Another interesting fact though – kittens usually curled up on their owner's laps or under their chins for warmth, since they can't generate much warmth of their own. Naruto wondered if that was why Sasuke was so…cuddly the first morning they had met.

Naruto was not sure how to feel about the perfectly practical reason for Sasuke's behaviour, since at first, he had thought it was some sort of bonding thing that kittens did. That thought had been touching, and it depressed him a little to find out that that might not be all to it.

"Kaa-san… Otou-sama…"

And suddenly, all rumination on the interesting factoids he had learned in that kitten care book ceased as though they had never been, leaving him with a single thought.

He wanted to see Itachi, now more than ever.

Not because he was still confused about the Uchiha, which he was, but for the simple fact that he was going to kill him.

Itachi was still the one who killed Sasuke's family after all.

He was the reason Sasuke had been crying non-stop into his chest since the previous night. It was now what… ten in the morning? His clone had finished reading that kitten care book four hours ago.

Yeah, Naruto was going to kill Itachi. Even if he got all his limbs cut off and was only a head that could bite him to death.

But, now, that wouldn't do, would it? Because the fact that Itachi was still alive and coming back home for him was the one little light Sasuke had left.

Naruto was too humble to think that he was also a bit of light in Sasuke's life.

But he did realise that if he slaughtered Itachi with his bare hands like he so wanted to do in front of Sasuke – and consequentially broke the promise he had thrice made to Sasuke the previous night – he would never again hear the kitten call him friend. It unnerved him when he realised that a significant part of him did not care.

_Is this what the desire for revenge feels like_? Naruto could not help wondering. It was all-consuming, and before Naruto had known it, it had put itself above the importance of his bond with Sasuke.

It was a scary thing.

It had consumed Sasuke once already. But never again. Not if Naruto had anything to do with it.

"Kaa-san…" Naruto sighed. A brilliant beam of sunlight suddenly struck his eye; with a muted swear he stretched up and closed his curtains. Blue. Because Sasuke had insisted on them, being uncomfortable with someone's ability to look in this room any time they wanted.

Naruto had never really seen a need for the privacy. Hardly anyone used to visit him anyway when he was a kid, and by the time that changed, no curtains had already become a habit. That and he was hardly home anyway.

But the things really did come in handy. Naruto liked the cool blue light that now filtered through the room. It made the room feel cooler, though it did nothing to ease Sasuke's crying.

Nothing Naruto did helped. He had lain on his back for more hours than he bothered to count, hugging Sasuke-kitten to his chest and stroking his head and ears. He said nothing – Sasuke did not need words, especially from someone who never had parents to lose.

Sometimes Sasuke would cry, and wail and scream; other times he only released anguished whimpers and quiet, body-shaking sobs interjected with the names of his parents, or a call for Itachi; sometimes he would clench his teeth and claws with the pain, digging through Naruto's shirt and into his chest (not that Naruto complained or said anything at all); and finally (and Naruto thought this was the worst), Sasuke would just lay limp and unmoving and silent, staring at nothing as though dead, and leaving Naruto to wonder and worry until he started crying again.

Finally, at around noon, Sasuke did none of these. Naruto looked. The kitten was blinking slowly at the curtains, looking more drained than a baby had a right to look.

"Nawuto?" Baby talk. He must really be exhausted. "You know, there were times that I really did hate my Nii-chan." Sasuke paused. Naruto gave a soft 'yeah' to show he was listening.

"Nii-chan was good at everything, and Otou-sama would onwy look at him. He never noticed me. And eve'yone in our clan always told me I should be like Itachi, or that Itachi could do it better. And I would think, sometimes, that I woulda been happier if Nii-chan wasn't there. Then everyone would look at me and say I was the best." Sasuke shook, his little claws digging into Naruto's shirt again. "And now," he hiccupped, his voice growing high and tight to signal a new wave of tears, "and now, Nawuto, all I want is to see my Nii-chan, and pway with my Nii-chan, and be with my Nii-chan, and he's not here. Eve'yone else is dead and I'm all alone and Nii-chan's not here to make it better."

Naruto hugged the kitten closer, stroking his ears until he stopped shaking.

"I deserve it, Nawuto. I deserve this. I hated my Nii-chan, and wished he wasn't here, and now he's not here. It's my fault. I deserve it…"

"No, you don't. You don't deserve this, Sasuke. You… Sasuke?"

There was no response. Sasuke had fallen asleep.

For a moment, Naruto lay still, unsure of what to do. Then, he slowly got up, left Sasuke-kitten sleeping on the bed, and went to change his soaked-through shirt. Tiny pinpricks dotted his chest from Sasuke's claws, leaving a mosaic of blackened spots of blood all over his torso.

He sighed again, took a shower, and inspected the spots again. They should have been nearly healed if not completely so by the Kyūbi's chakra. Then he remembered the seal Tsunade had put on him. With all the confusion over Sasuke, he had completely forgotten to ask her to remove it.

Sighing a third time, he rummaged through his first aid pouch and found some ointment to put on the pinpricks.

Then he went to Sasuke.

The kitten was already in a deep sleep, looking so grieved that tears should have still been rolling from his eyes. But Sasuke had cried out all his tears a while ago.

Naruto wet a towel from the bathroom and gently cleaned Sasuke's face, erasing the near-permanent tracks the river of tears had left. He changed Sasuke out of his dirty, sweaty clothes, dabbed at his heated skin with the cool towel, and changed him into a simple baby's shirt; it still ended up dwarfing him so that he did not even need the pants the outfit came with.

Naruto realised he was starving, but not in the mood to wait those three accursed minutes for cup ramen. Waiting for more time at Ichiraku's, however, never seemed that bad. He would get take-out though – he did not want to leave Sasuke alone too long, even though he was sleeping. And he would get the kitten a bowl – Ichiraku's should have kid's sizes, right?

After locking the door, moving Sasuke so his head sunk into his pillow, and stroking his ears a bit in a gesture he hoped would tell him that everything would be all right, he prepared to leap out the window.

_Knock. Kno-kno-kno-knock-knock._

Ero-sennin.

He shut the bedroom door, hesitated, then opened the apartment door to a grave-looking Jiraiya. Before he could convince the man to come with him for ramen, his sensei's next words made him bite his tongue.

"I've got a lead on the location of the leader of Akatsuki. I'm headed over there right now."

* * *

"You're going there alone?!" Naruto exploded, slamming his hands on his kitchen's one table. "I should come with you!"

"Naruto –"

"I'll get my things," he said, grabbing his orange track pants from off the floor and tightening the leg holster. "Man Ero-sennin, you shoulda told me earlier –"

"You're not coming with me, Naruto."

"Let's see…I'm a little short on shuriken – I'm sure Sakura-chan wouldn't mind me borrowing from her stash – OOF!"

Naruto did not get a whack to the head; instead it felt like a punch to the gut. Naruto's stomach was smoking from where Jiraiya's five fingers had slammed into it. He was not sent flying, nor did he land flat on his back as he did when he was a kid.

He did skid back a few feet though, the floor squeaking beneath the balls of his feet and the friction taking off a few layers of skin, until his back hit his bedroom door.

The seal was gone.

That was good; it had been frustrating to only be able to summon five shadow clones at a time.

"Thanks," Naruto grunted, doubling over slightly. He missed Jiraiya slowly rubbing residues of ointment between his fingers. "I think. Now I'm really ready for –"

"You're not coming with me, Naruto."

"Why?"

"You're asking me?" Naruto was taken aback. Was Jiraiya… disappointed? At his look of confusion, Jiraiya gave a grunt of frustration. "Is that all it takes for you to forget that you have certain _**responsibilities**_ here? In this village? You can't go around as you like anymore, Naruto."

"What are… you…?"

_Sasuke. _

_**Sasuke**__. _

_Oh no._

_No. _

_Again. He had almost… __**Again!**__ Why was it_ _**that easy**_ _for him to forget? What the hell was wrong with him? _

Naruto's back hit the door again and he slid down it, his look of horror only dwarfed by his self-loathing.

"I can't come with you, Ero-sennin," he said at last, his voice deep with his own disgust.

_You weren't going to anyway._ Jiraiya kept his wry thoughts to himself, and cleared his throat.

"Releasing that seal is not really what I came here to do. In fact, it was more an errand from Tsunade." Naruto blinked and slowly rose to his feet. "You see, I've come to give you something. Something that was entrusted to me by the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto's eyes widened and he unconsciously gripped his stomach, where the seal still showed.

"What is it?"

"The key to his own Eight Trigrams seal. With this key, you can undo the seal, and release the Kyūbi's chakra completely."

Time itself seemed to stop for Naruto in that moment. His hearing had disappeared once again – yup, officially a bad habit.

"You…want me to release…the Kyūbi's chakra?" Flashes of crimson stained his vision – of blood, of **hatred**. Sakura went flying, Ero-sennin was slumped on the ground in front of him with a massive gash in his chest.

"No… No!"

"Naruto!"

"**No**! I won't take it! I won't let it out!"

"Naruto, listen –"

"I will _**never**_ rely on that power again!"

"You say that, but why is it that it always takes over, Naruto!" Naruto tried to escape but Jiraiya gripped his shoulders, keeping him against the door. "That last time, what happened? Tell me!"

"No… Ero-sennin…"

"You knew you weren't strong enough. So you surrendered, didn't you?"

"No…"

"You let it take over. You let it give you power."

"That's why I promised I wouldn't let it happen again!"

"It almost happened with Danzō."

Naruto's body shook. He roared and pushed against Jiraiya, but he was too strong.

"Why give me the key then! Why undo the seal?!"

"Because I believe that you can learn to control it."

"Why? Because of 'that technique'? The one the Fourth thought I could complete?"

The _**sarcasm**_ dripping from Naruto's words stunned him. "Since when did you lose faith in yourself? Did getting taken off the mission really hurt you that badly?"

"Shut up." Jiraiya swallowed. Naruto's eyes were flickering red, and a mad, roiling chakra ran hot just beneath his skin. "Don't ever mention that mission to me, Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya gritted his teeth. It was a big risk, but he had to take it. He could not afford Naruto refusing the key.

"I _**will**_ mention the mission, Naruto. You were taken off of it because you can't control the Kyūbi's chakra."

"Shut up."

"You an idiot who always lets it spiral out of control, begging it for power when you're in dire straits."

"Shut up!"

"You never acknowledge your own weakness until it's too late, and then you beg for fast power. In that respect, you're no different from Sasuke. Look at you. You're even doing it now."

Naruto's breathing was jagged and hard; his eyes flickering to red and back so fast that there was no blue to one who did not know it was there. Claws dug themselves into the flimsy wood of the door to keep from slashing across Jiraiya's throat.

They had done this before. For the sake of Naruto gaining control of the demon, Jiraiya had loosened his seal and provoked him like this once before.

It was a near fatal mistake. And now…

"What…are you trying to do?" his voice was anger, an ever-growing rage that threatened to envelope his heart. Clumps of boiling crimson chakra started to ooze out of his skin, and black linings, a weak descendent of Sabaku no Gaara's but still prominent, appeared around eyes that struggled to maintain sanity.

"I'm trying to get you to acknowledge your weakness now, rather than later," Jiraiya's voice was desperate and tinged with more than a little fear. If Naruto lost control here…it might actually be worse than Tsunade's future punishment for goading him to that state.

Jiraiya kept going. Despite what Naruto thought of himself, he still believed that his pupil could keep control. And if not – he always had a trump card.

"The Fourth Hokage did not just give the Kyūbi's chakra to you on a whim." Crimson eyes glared at him, and jagged breaths puffed out between rabid fangs.

Jiraiya brought his face closer to Naruto's, looking him in the eye. "The Eight Trigram seal is not a complete seal, Naruto. It allows a bit of the Kyūbi's chakra to mix with yours. That was not an accident, or a slapdash decision. The Fourth always intended for you to have control of the Kyūbi's chakra. He believed in you from the very beginning."

Jiraiya swallowed again. He knew the next few statements could be his death, but he had to take the chance.

"Tsunade told me what you said about being under a genjutsu." Naruto's entire body went stiff. Every muscle was taut. He was ready to strike at a millisecond's notice. Jiraiya was in no position to dodge if this happened. Yet he stayed where he was, his face so close to Naruto's he could feel the heat of his breath.

The boiling chakra spread slowly along Naruto's body, burning his hands as it came in contact. Jiraiya moved his hands a little, but still kept a strong grip on his godson.

"Naruto, even if the genjutsu made you admit in the end, it wouldn't have happened if, somewhere deep down, you truly did not agree with the man's words. You know you are not strong enough to face Itachi. And Itachi… wants to kill Sasuke. Are you strong enough, as you are now, to protect him? Or even to help him protect himself?"

The sound of snapping wood hurried Jiraiya's next sentence, and forced his hand.

"If you went on a rampage, even if it was in defence of Sasuke, could you stop yourself, or rather stop the Kyūbi from hurting him? From killing him?"

His ace worked.

Naruto's jaw fell open, releasing the strangled sound of choked air. Wood no longer snapped; the room was silent. His eyes were so wide that Jiraiya could see the veined whites of his sclera. The eyes themselves twitched in their sockets. His body was perfectly still, except for some residual quivering, as would happen when a string is pulled taut.

Jiraiya realised with alarm that Naruto had stopped breathing.

"Naruto?" he shook him. "Naruto!" He hit him firmly under his ribcage. Naruto coughed out of reflex and took in air again, though much too heavily for Jiraiya's liking. But when Naruto looked up at him, his eyes were blue, and the red chakra was gone – receded completely.

"Naruto?"

"I hurt you," Naruto whispered, panting as he rapidly tried to regain his breath. "I almost killed you. I hurt Sakura-chan."

"And it will happen again. It won't just go away because you want it to. In every battle, and life in general, there is hate, and with that hate your heart will reach out to the Kyūbi's. And then the Kyūbi's 'will', its hatred, will overtake you. The cycle will repeat. It will keep happening, again and again, until either you learn control, or the Kyūbi's will and chakra consume you completely. Taking this key, Naruto, is the only chance you have of stopping this cycle for good."

For the first time since he entered the apartment, Jiraiya smiled.

"I know you can do it. Just now, you wanted to attack me, but you managed to reign it in." _Though you stopped breathing from the effort._ "And earlier with Danzō, you managed to calm down without me applying the seal. You _**can do it**_, Naruto. You can learn how to control it completely."

By this time, Naruto was breathing normally. He leaned against the door, his eyes closed, taking in Jiraiya's words.

When he opened his eyes, they shone in their clarity. Jiraiya smiled. He had seen that brilliance only once before – when the boy declared that he would rather be a fool the rest of his life, than follow the 'wisdom' of giving up on a friend.

"I'll do it. You're right, Ero-sennin. I can't protect Sasuke the way I am now…in fact the way I am now is a risk to him. And also…"

"Also?"

"It took Sasuke three years' training with Orochimaru to be able to fight Itachi. He learned how to use every ounce of his power to his advantage…probably even the Curse Seal." He gripped his stomach again. "I don't like the Kyūbi. But he's mine. Like it or not, his chakra is part of my power too. It always has been. I still don't want to rely on it, but like you said I would have to learn to control it sooner or later. Either that or its hatred will eventually consume me. And I can't let that happen. I still have to become Hokage. And protect Sasuke."

He looked at Jiraiya, his eyes shining with new light. "I'll take the key, and learn how to control the Kyūbi's chakra. After all I am the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki."

Jiraiya stared at that sparkling grin for a moment, the expression void of all the anger and hatred it held just a few moments ago.

_Your faith was well-placed, Minato._

Jiraiya grinned, and slapped Naruto on the back. "Honestly, talking some sense into an idiot really takes up a lot of time. I could've been deep inside Amegakure by now following my lead."

"Amegakure? Is that where Akatsuki's leader – mmphm!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I forgot to tell you I actually _**didn't**_ want everyone in Konoha to know," Jiraiya hissed. A sheepish upturning of the eyebrows and a grin hidden beneath his hand made him scowl as he bit his thumb and wonder about giving the key to Naruto after all.

Well, too late now.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Naruto came away from the door, staring at the orange and black toad with an … obi? around its waist. With a barely hidden wince, he realised it as the toad from _**that**_ time, when Jiraiya had almost…

The toad stared back at him, its arms folded and an annoyed scowl on its face. Naruto wondered what he did to irritate the creature, when he realised the scowl wasn't for him.

"So you're really giving it to him?" he turned to Jiraiya. "Did you forget what happened the last time you used me to open up his seal just a little bit?" he said, indicating the size between two of his…fingers? "You almost died."

"Yeah, we went through all that already Gerotora. The kid agreed anyway."

"You didn't have to say it like that. It's not like I don't care you almost died," Naruto complained at Gerotora's aghast look.

"The past is in the past," Jiraiya said with a wave of his hand. "Anyway, Naruto agreed. So hurry it up, let him sign already so I can get out of here."

With a great humph, the toad's obi split, with the toad's upper half rising, revealing a yellow-and-black striped pattern scroll. Naruto gaped as the scroll fell open, revealing a complicated design of script, and at the end, a larger copy of Naruto's Eight Trigrams seal, inside of an even larger circle.

When Naruto took a step back and looked at the whole diagram, he realised it resembled a giant key.

A small box was to the left of the large circle. Naruto stepped up to it, focusing chakra to the ends of the fingertips of his right hand. He pressed it into the box and waited. And waited.

"…Uh. Is that it?"

"Well, as far as the contract goes," Gerotora sighed, winding the scroll back up into his body and shrinking down to his previous size, the two halves of his obi meeting with a metallic clink.

"Now we need to do the storage."

"How do you do the storage?"

"You don't have to do anything," Gerotora casually assured him, "Just open your mouth."

Naruto tilted his head a little, thinking it was strange, but shrugged and opened up.

"Wider than that, Naruto," Jiraiya directed with an exasperated gesture of his arms. "Pretend you're eating that miso pork ramen you love so much."

"AAAAAHHHH!"

"All right," said Gerotora, stretching a bit, "Keep it right there."

_Wait a second, I wonder what he's going to_ – GEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!

With a slap to Gerotora's backside from Jiraiya, the toad went down Naruto's throat; who immediately fell to his knees and retched, his eyes watering.

"Why…the mouth…it was slimy…and gross…and tasted like…"

"Honestly, I've seen you eat worse things," Jiraiya sighed, patting Naruto on the back. "Stop puking already, there's still one more thing we need to talk about."

Naruto coughed, wiping saliva from his mouth with the back of his hand. Having had nothing to eat since the previous day, he did not make a mess. In fact, thanks to a certain toad who he could _**feel**_ was still… adjusting… he felt full enough to abstain from food for the next three days.

"What?"

And here was where things got strange.

Jiraiya averted his eyes. Only for a millisecond. The movement was so slight that one would have had to have lived with the man for three years to notice it.

Naruto noticed.

Now, there were a few instances where Jiraiya did this, but two stood out for their superior frequency.

One was where the toad sage had, once again, spent all of Naruto's money traipsing the town with women, or lounging in the bars (and less reputable places) with women, instead of getting them food, or buying a room at the inn, or paying off his intel. When Naruto asked for it, he would look away and suddenly make up an excuse whose lameness and sheer incredibility would shame Kakashi, or change the subject – usually to finding a place, outdoors, to set up camp for the night.

The other was when Jiraiya, with a certain _**pervy**_ gleam in his eye, snuck out of the bath at hot springs, and told Naruto an excuse synonymous with the previous description, leaving Naruto to soak alone with a perfectly timed crow flying overhead cawing out a very comedic onomatopoeia.

In both cases, when Jiraiya averted his eyes, it was accompanied with varying degrees of guilt.

This was the first time the guilt had been wholly sincere.

And it unnerved Naruto. Greatly.

"Ero-sennin?" he questioned, wanting for some strange reason to get into the bedroom behind him. He suddenly needed to see Sasuke.

Now.

"Uh, just wait a sec, Ero-sennin, I need to go check on –"

Jiraiya put one of his large hands on Naruto's shoulder, holding on with the child of an iron grip. Though the child was growing up fast.

"You're not going anywhere, Naruto." The child was now an adult. Naruto's heart was racing for the second time that day.

And he heard movement in the bedroom.

Movement that was too loud and too _**big **_to be made by Sasuke.

He turned his head swiftly to the room, before smoke filled his vision and he was falling, falling, falling into a whole other world.

* * *

It was beautiful. A vibrant, verdant place with wild bright colours from large, flamboyant flowers and massive mushrooms and great, lush but strange vegetation: giant corkscrew florae the size of trees, with openings at their tops that gushed pure, sparkling water like never-ending faucets.

It was paradise. Much, much nicer than his tiny apartment. A pity that he was here now, at a time when paradise could have burned and he could not have cared less.

If it meant that he could get back to Sasuke, he could not care less.

He did not even see Gamakichi and Gamatatsu staring at him, expecting a greeting, or even a reaction out of Naruto, who had never been to Mount Myōboku, The Toad Mountain before.

It would have been satisfying, and funny, to see Naruto fall flat on his behind in awe and shock after his sudden Reverse Summoning, followed by his yelling at Jiraiya for not warning him. Or by him puking again – Reverse Summoning could be rough on first timers.

But no, Naruto was just standing there – with this weird look on his face, like he was struggling not to scream.

Jiraiya smirked, spread out his arms, cocked up one leg and hopped forward a bit, rotating his head like a drunken turtle.

"Welcome, Naruto, to Mount Myōboku, home of the Great Toads and birthplace of the rare, the dangerous, the coveted Sage Arts! The place where mere ninjutsu is transformed into _**Sen**_jutsu, and great Sages, destined to change the world, are born and raised! I, Jiraiya-sama the Great Sage of this mystical, mysterious and myth-inspiring place, have brought you here, so that you too can –!"

"Take me back."

Jiraiya froze. Then his arms dropped as though a puppet's strings had been cut, and hung limply at his sides. His expression fell with them.

"Come on, Naruto! Do you even see this place? This is where I learned Sage Mode and became a Sage, and now I've brought you here so that you can –"

"I don't care." This time, Jiraiya's jaw firmed. The struggling lighthearted atmosphere was now destroyed completely. Naruto turned his head slightly to him, something akin to madness flickering in his too-wide eyes. "Take me back. _**Now**_."

"I can't do that."

"I'll destroy this place." Gamakichi and Gamatatsu flinched, while Jiraiya's face hardened into a grim parody of his kabuki-esque smirk. "I'll use the key you just gave me to release the Kyūbi's chakra, and I'll –"

Jiraiya was at his side in an instant, and Naruto was restrained in a spiky mass of white hair before he could blink, with the point of a particularly long spike playing at his neck.

"You realise, Naruto," he calmly stated, with that dangerous smirk still in place, "That I will break every bone in your body before you ever have a chance to do such a thing."

Naruto's lips curled back into a wild smirk of his own, his teeth a little sharper than they should be.

"You realise, Ero-sennin, that I would still try anyway. The guts to never give up. I've got it just as much as you do."

Jiraiya chuckled, and his hair tightened around Naruto, threatening to break skin.

"Um –" the utterance of a shaky voice was quickly quieted by a frantic 'shut up!' "But, there's something on Naruto nii-chan's leg."

Master and student blinked, and looked down with identical expressions of bemusement. There was indeed something attached to Naruto's leg, something small, black and furry, whose claws were dug deep into the blond's flesh.

How Naruto never felt that, Jiraiya could only hope the explanation was adrenaline. He did not want to think about what it meant for Naruto's mental capacity if it had taken _**that**_ long for the pain to reach his brain.

"Sasuke?" The kitten looked up, his eyes watering and unfocused, and his cheeks a greenish tinge. "Sasuke!"

Naruto picked the kitten up, hugging and spinning him around as soon as Jiraiya released his Hari Jizō technique.

He was so happy he failed to notice Sasuke's cheeks filling up.

"Uh, Naruto," Jiraiya always did have the shrewder eyes, "He looks like he's going to –"

"BLEEEEEGGGGHHHH!"

* * *

**A/N: A short chapter this time (well, short_-er_ anyway). **

**The next chapter will be fun. Lots of fun.**

**See you all next time.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

Danzō Shimura truly believed his life was currently in danger.

Not from the enemy they were chasing, or any other possible enemies that they could encounter along the way – but from fellow Konoha shinobi.

This…was rare. Subordinates of the Hokage may dislike, hate, or even hold grudges against him, but only once or twice in his decades of service to the village did one ever hold true killing intent against him.

Even more of an oddity; the killing intent came not from the expected males on the team – yes, they were angry (Kakashi and _**Yamato**_ were the only ones doing an acceptable job of hiding that fact, and he could only tell the Aburame's feelings because of his time spent with Torune) – but from the only two kunoichi. Chūnin, no less.

Yes…very rare indeed.

"Danzō-sama." The call came from one of them, and Danzō could _**feel**_ the chill in his bones. It was…impressive…that her voice could sound so polite yet hold enough quiet rage as to _**promise**_ a shattering of all of his tenketsu with a single touch of her Jūken.

"Your decision to divert from our original path proved a good one. I'm picking up a faint chakra mass about five kilometres due east."

And to give a compliment on top of it too. This girl had promise.

She had seemed merely disappointed when she heard that the Jinchūriki would not be coming on the mission. However, that very night, Tsunade's apprentice had pulled aside – or had _**been**_ pulled aside – by the rest of her former classmates, and his own student, where she divulged what had happened in Tsunade's office in detail.

Since then, the atmosphere Danzō was met with from his own team shifted from bemused and a bit cautious but professional, to barely hidden hostility and openly unwelcome but _**extremely**_ professional.

Danzō, for the most part, did not care.

He had come on this mission with a singular purpose, and it was this purpose that he was going to fulfil.

"How did you know there was an Akatsuki hideout nearby?" Kakashi asked in curiosity.

That man was truly gifted. The way he was able to hide downright distrust and suspicion behind such bored, unassuming tones was exquisite. He would give due credit – Tsunade truly had some excellent people on her side.

But they still were not good enough to fool him.

"Reconnaissance," he said. The answer was true enough.

"Ah, I see. I understand if knowledge like this is kept confidential for unrelated missions. But surely for this one, locations of Akatsuki hideouts would be useful."

"And so I have shared it with you."

"Yes. _**You**_ have. Not the Fifth Hokage, but _**you**_." And in that last word, Hatake's mask faltered, and Danzō could _**taste**_ his leeriness.

He leaped off his branch with a bit of extra chakra, putting himself slightly ahead of the group. Kakashi was right beside him before he made contact with his next branch.

"You don't trust me," Danzō said bluntly.

"No, I don't," was the equal reply.

"That is inconsequential. We have a mission to perform, and to that, I would say that I have given you no reason to guard against me. I have willingly shared what I know. Whatever you think of my politics, Kakashi, is a different matter entirely, and it would do you well to set it aside."

Kakashi said nothing, but if possible, his eye grew even lazier and he stared towards the bits of sky that flew past them between the leaves.

The man was furious. And quite frustrated.

Again, Danzō was impressed. It was stifled, somewhat, by the spikes of raw fury he felt speared into his back, again by the group's only two kunoichi who had been listening.

"Danzō-sama –" if Danzō had been a bit of a lesser man, he would have dodged the Jūken he could feel just _**yearning**_ to be stabbed into his flesh. "Kakashi-sensei. A message is coming from Konoha."

Kakashi leaped as soon as his toe touched the branch, and grabbed the bird – a hawk – out of the sky. Danzō suppressed a smirk as they all came to a sudden stop.

"Itachi Uchiha is sick."

Belying the deadpan tone, Kakashi's eyebrow was raised, and his eye itself was calculating.

Danzō kept his expression perfectly flat. His plans did not change. If anything, they were made much, much easier.

"Some sort of lung disease by the looks of it," Kakashi continued. "We can use this. If we can arrange our fighting style to aggravate his condition –"

"Uh, Kakashi-sensei," Kiba made a single handed sign in front of his face, his eyes narrowed in uncharacteristic concentration. "The scent's starting to move."

"How fast?"

"Walking speed. But if he decides to Shunshin – it could be bad."

"We'll discuss the attack pattern on the way then. Let's keep moving."

They travelled on, covering dozens of meters in seconds. Danzō barely listened to Kakashi's words, engulfed instead in his own devices.

Ever since learning of him, he had always intended to use the full power of Shisui's eye to kill Madara.

However, in order to subdue the Jinchūriki, he needed to use a bit of the eye's power. He had thought then, that he would need to scrap his plans for Madara and use the eye's full power against Itachi.

But the news of Itachi's illness was truly _**sublime**_. He would be able to save his eye for Madara after all.

When they were within one kilometre of Itachi, they all immediately suppressed their chakra and prepared to spread out, hoping to encircle the Uchiha.

"HOLD IT!"

And all the trees within a five metre radius suddenly detonated.

In the clouds of dirt, charred bark and sawdust that billowed from the site of the explosion, a childlike giggle was heard.

"Oh, that was pretty good for Tobi huh? Tobi's Great Landmines no Jutsu can work without Deidara-senpai huh?"

As the dust settled, the owner of the voice could be seen crouching on a nearby branch, his black cloak decorated with red clouds hanging off the branch around him.

Suddenly, he leaned forward. Something had sparked in the dust.

Tilting his head in childish curiosity, he leaned closer. Blue…somethings were sparking all over in the dust, hovering around the crater at the blast's epicentre.

He scratched his head. Then yelped. The tree behind him had suddenly come to life, and was hugging him to its trunk.

Tobi liked hugs, but this was too much.

"Hey, let me go! Let me – uh…" He silenced at the kunai that was pressed against his neck. His eye strained to look through the one hole in his mask, and he finally saw seven shapes standing, unharmed, in the middle of the crater – though one shape was bent over and appeared to be breathing heavily.

He also finally saw the remnants of the bright, blue streams of chakra that had protected them from the blast.

On the ground, Sakura held glowing green chakra to Hinata's back, while she quickly regained her breath.

"Thanks Hinata," the girl said. "You saved us."

"You okay?" Kiba asked, while Akamaru nosed her hand worriedly.

"I'm…fine… It's just harder… with the _**Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō**_… to deflect pure energy rather than solid projectiles. The _**Hakkeshō Kaiten**_ really is the better technique for it."

"Are you kidding?! That was awesome!" Kiba encouraged, as she slowly straightened.

"Yes, it was particularly impressive," Shino intoned, "Why, you ask? Because you were able to shield all of us from the negative effects of the explosion, with less than a second's notice to do it."

"Yeah!" Kiba inputted. "You even protected the old fart over there!" He jammed his thumb towards Danzō, who blinked slowly in his direction, then looked up at the orange mask who was currently tied to a tree by its own limbs.

Captain Yamato (that _**name**_), held a kunai to his neck.

"Stay still and answer our questions and you will –"

The man disappeared. Danzō blinked, and he reappeared, popping out of a hole in another tree trunk.

"No no no. You can't catch Tobi like that, silly tree!" he laughed. It was a laugh of sweetness and innocence, but Danzō did not miss the raw sense of _**danger**_ underneath those dulcet tones.

Neither did Kakashi.

Danzō went to him. "He's more powerful than he looks."

"Aah," Kakashi nodded shortly, focusing on the mask who was sitting next to the hole he'd made in the branch, swinging his legs happily.

The Darkness of Konoha turned to Kiba. "Itachi's still moving, I presume?"

"Yeah. Away from here. He's moving faster."

"We don't have time for this," Sakura finally spoke. Her whole attention, including her furious green glare, was directed at the masked man, but Danzō swore three quarters of it was somehow _**still**_ aimed at him.

Once again, impressive.

"I'll get rid of him," she continued, tightening her glove. "He can't move if he's unconscious."

Kakashi came up behind her. "We'll use formation B." Sakura immediately turned and grabbed Kakashi's arm. Kiba and Akamaru darted for the tree trunk's mossy base.

Turning on her heel like a top, Sakura spun with Kakashi in her grip. When she let go, he flew upwards, high above the branches and through the treetops.

The orange mask watched him go.

"Whoa, he flew up pretty high! Huh?! What? Wait, you distracted me!" Sakura focused half of her chakra to the bottoms of her feet and _**pushed**_.

She rocketed straight up, and out of her peripheral vision, she could see two grey-and-white tornados coming at Tobi's left and right sides. Great square tendrils of wood stretched and shot at their enemy, taking his entire back.

She barrelled straight on towards him, her fist cocked back and powered with chakra for a wicked blow.

Tobi danced. He pranced. He dodged all of it, the wood, the Gatsūgas…all while laughing and giggling and making the most _**asinine**_ comments. Like he was _**having fun**_.

Sakura screamed and threw her fist forward. It buried itself into his mask, and went right through it, out the back of his head. And the rest of her body followed.

She passed through him. Shock, disgust and fear rippled through her as she finished her passage through his head, neck and torso, leaving not a hole, wound, or even the smallest scratch. It was like passing through a bunshin, except this one did not disappear, and bid her farewell with a playful 'Olé!'

She flipped in mid-air and landed on a nearby tree trunk, sticking to it with chakra to the soles of her feet. She stared.

Tobi stared back. Then he put his hands on his hips and stuck out his bottom, in a full-bodied expression of a pout.

"That was no fair! You distracted me at first and then came at me from all sides! Tobi can't fight against something like –" The song of a thousand birds descended from the sky. Tobi looked up to see Kakashi plummeting for him, his hand alight with singing electric chakra.

"Oh, he _**wasn't a distraction**_?!" Tobi's seemingly last words as Kakashi collided with him, destroying the branch in the process. Sakura covered her eyes from the flying woodchips, but still peeked out to see the shattered edge of the tree branch where Tobi had once stood. Below them, Captain Yamato caught Kakashi in a wooden net.

Sakura wondered how Yamato managed to make that a soft landing.

"Wait!" Hinata called from below, veins bulging around her eyes. "It's not over! He's –!"

Sakura heard him rather than saw him. Before he could say one more word in that sickening childish voice of his, she moved, pushing off of the tree trunk with enough force to shatter the bark.

Tobi barely had time to turn around.

"_**Shannaro**_!" She punched, her blow making the air crack with its rapid displacement.

She passed through him again, and tumbled through the air before landing safely in Yamato's net.

Oh, it was a bit soft after all.

There was silence for a few long moments. Sakura slid out of the net and stared up at their enemy, who looked down at them, tapping the tip of his foot against his new perch.

He…was strong. Damn it.

"They passed through him," Danzō said, having watched everything without moving from his single spot.

"Yes," Hinata agreed. "I've been watching him. And I've extended the range of my Byakugan, in case he's a bunshin or genjutsu. But all of our chakra systems are stable, and there is no other chakra around except his own. He also has a stable chakra system, but – in the places where he's attacked – it's like that part of his chakra system goes somewhere else."

"You mean part of his body disappears?" asked Sai, his impassive expression finally giving way to a slight rise of his eyebrows.

"I – I think so. But we can still see the part that disappears. But it's like that part becomes an illusion, and one passes right through."

Shino took a deep breath. "That…is troubling."

"Indeed," Danzō agreed lightly, shocking everyone in the group though none showed it. "And Itachi?" Kiba, who had slammed into a tree after missing his attack, swayed a little on his feet. Sakura rushed to him – after a few seconds of healing, he spoke.

"Moving away…" he suddenly grimaced, his lip curling into a snarl. "If he gets any further we'll lose him."

"Then, we have to split up. I'll go after Itachi –"

"Wait," Kakashi started. "You can't go alone."

"Not that you care about my wellbeing, but you still don't trust me." Kakashi was silent, and Danzō sighed. "I am the one with the best chances against Itachi. That was partly what persuaded the Hokage to allow me to take the place of the Jinchūriki." Two chakra spikes reminded him not to mention Naruto, but he did not care. Itachi was getting away.

"The only way I can betray you now is if I take this opportunity to run away from the mission. And if that was my intention, I would not have –"

"Broken Naruto's spirit," a soft-spoken but dangerous voice supplied. "And took a place that never belonged to you."

Danzō's lip firmed a little.

"I would not have judiciously made my case the way I did. I will confront Itachi, and capture him, whether with you or without you. But we are running out of time. You were appointed leader of this mission, Kakashi. Your choice, if you please."

Kakashi had closed his one eye sometime during Danzō's speech. When he opened it again, he simultaneously raised his headband so that its brother could join it.

"Sakura, you go with Danzō."

"Kakashi-sensei –"

"We'll create a distraction. Use it to slip past. As Hinata said, there's no other chakra around except for his."

"Well then, Hinata should –"

"We need Hinata here to follow this guy's movements, as well as warn us if anyone else does show up. Same thing for Kiba and Akamaru. Besides, you're a fighter as well as a medic-nin. You'd be very useful in facing Itachi."

"But if that's the case, why can't more of us –"

"If too many people try to slip by him, he'll intercept us and then we'll be right back where we started. Two is the ideal number for now. We'll catch up as soon as we can."

He clapped a hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Danzō knew what it was without even having to look. 'Be careful, and keep an eye on him.'

She whispered something back. It was too long to be a simple 'I understand', and even then, a nod would have sufficed. Kakashi paused, considering her words for a moment, then he nodded.

"Hey, hey!" the orange mask finally spoke, waving his arms in a ridiculously exaggerated fashion. "Aren't we gonna play some more? I'm bored."

Kakashi turned to Shino. "Can you –"

"I'm already on it," was the zealous reply (which was only one-eighth of a tone different from his normal voice really). A second later, the air around him was alive with insects.

* * *

Sakura leaped swiftly through the trees, the hem of her skirt still smoking. They had managed to slip past when Shino's insects had swarmed the masked man, covering him from head to toe.

But even when he had turned into a black, buzzing hive, he somehow sensed they were escaping, disappeared out of Shino's Insect Bog, and planted two bombs in the trees right in front of them, which detonated immediately.

It was only Sai's Super Beast Scroll that saved them in the end, distracting the masked man just long enough for them to complete their escape.

Now they were closing in on Itachi Uchiha. Once he was captured, it was only a matter of time before Sasuke would be in reach. They were so close.

Danzō started to say something.

Sakura decided to beat him to it.

"I hate you."

_She certainly does not mince words. _

"Naruto should be here. Naruto should be the one beside me, going to face Itachi."

"The Jinchū –"

"Naruto! Na-ru-to!" she snarled at her superior, at one of the echelons of village government, and she did not care. "Damn you! Is that all he is to you? Can't you even _**say his name**_ without being told?!"

Danzō fell silent. Sakura took a breath, willing herself to calm down. "Even though I hate you, I will work with you. You are still a shinobi of Konoha, regardless of my personal feelings. And you are helping us to capture Itachi. So, for that and that alone, we are comrades."

_Kakashi made a mistake. I am sorry that you will pay for it._

"Sakura."

_There is one other way that I can betray you._

Sakura's eyes widened, as her head turned automatically to the sound of her name. But, for it to be called so casually from _**Danzō's**_ lips was wrong.

_And that is…_

She inhaled to correct him, or to tell him off, but never got the chance.

She looked into the spinning red Sharingan and missed her next branch entirely. She fell; fell into a soft, dark world that called her to a long, warm sleep.

_To perform and complete a different mission entirely._

* * *

By the time Danzō reached Itachi, the three golden braces that had been clamped to his right arm for over a decade had fallen away; the bandaged appendage freed.

It was a premature action.

"A Shadow Clone." Danzō glared at the clone, almost letting a frustrated grunt of air squeeze through his teeth in the all too common 'tch' sound.

He held it in. He was above such displays.

The Shadow Clone, however, shamed its original by showing the slightest hint of surprise – a widening of its eyes.

"Danzō," his voice redeemed him; perfectly blank and void of all emotion – the speech of a brick wall would have had more feeling. His eyes then shifted slightly, to the left then the right.

Someone without a Sharingan would not have caught the movement.

"Even the best of shinobi have bad days, Itachi," Danzō began, shifting his bandaged arm back into his robe. It was more a rain-robe really, much like the black one he always wore but with more material to cover the left side of his body and his head. The hood was down, however, since the rain had long stopped.

Itachi stared at the recently reaffixed bandages over his right eye for the briefest moment, before focusing on Danzō's left one.

"What do you mean?"

"Where is your original?" Danzō ignored the question. "I need to speak with him." The clone was silent. Danzō stiffened, and suppressed a sigh.

"You geriatric bastard!" He was mildly shocked that the owner of that voice knew the word 'geriatric' and could correctly use it in a sentence. Well, if you can call what he had just shouted a complete –

"What the hell did you do to Sakura?!" Two thuds landed behind him. Danzō did not need to turn around to be sure that one of the thuds was not human.

Though the boy who grabbed his shoulder with fingernails that were too long and too sharp just barely passed for one.

"You bastard! I knew we couldn't trust –" the dog-boy finally saw Itachi, and immediately shut up. It was almost comical.

Danzō heard that mundane 'tch!' (this one holding fear as well as anger) as the Inuzuka shifted into a defensive stance in front of his partner.

_Ah. So the dog is carrying the girl. That might actually be useful to me._

"I'll ask again," Danzō said as though the past five or so seconds had not happened. "Where is the original?" He ignored the gasp of surprise that the revelation brought to his 'comrade' behind him.

Again, the clone did not respond. "Shall we trade information then?" A blink, eyebrows rising in a miniscule expression that declared he was vaguely intrigued.

"Sasuke is not here. Nor is he anywhere within a radius of 300 kilometres."

The clone's eyes widened slightly again. With Itachi, unless something shook him, he expressed no emotion at all. This news was a great shock to him.

"This is not the first of your plans to have failed, Itachi," Danzō told him, locking eyes with the clone. "Naruto Uzumaki is not here either. You were looking for him as well, weren't you?"

The clone said nothing, but the muscles around its mouth imperceptibly tightened. "You might think of those two failures as mere roadblocks. Admittedly, your most careful and precious plan has not failed yet, but it is falling apart. You've made a huge oversight. And I'm here to make sure that Konoha does not pay."

Danzō took a step forward. "_**Where is your original**_?" Clone and human stared at each other for the longest and tensest five seconds Kiba had ever endured, before the clone slowly raised a hand (Kiba flinched and brought two kunai defensively in front of him) and pointed straight ahead of them.

Then it dissolved into a murder of obnoxiously cawing crows.

"What – the – hell?"

Kiba was duly ignored as Danzō turned to the girl slumped over Akamaru's back. He put a hand on her back and woke her with a silent pulse of his chakra.

Before she could move his lips were by her ear.

"Tell anyone what happened and I'll put both of you down. I assume Kakashi has not sent anyone else, has he?"

The soft grating of teeth behind a tensed cheek was all the response he needed.

"Now," he said, turning to Kiba as she rose silently and needlessly tightened her glove, "Lead the way, dog."

Luckily for Danzō, Kiba took that as a compliment.

* * *

The clone had been a minor annoyance, but now, it was an all but forgotten memory.

Danzō was inside the long abandoned Uchiha hideout, an impressive if not bland construct that rather suited his tastes.

Itachi Uchiha sat before him, poised lazily in a plain throne of sorts – probably an archaic and overstated seat of power for a previous clan head – with one arm resting casually in his cloak, watching him idly with his Sharingan.

The children, also forgotten to Danzō, were waiting a few hundred meters away, at the very outskirts of the town-like hideout, with a large, imposing, and _**blue**_ missing-nin whose name barely registered in the man's mind.

The name of his sword, Samehada, held more weight, but that was only because of the weapon's utterly bizarre appearance.

It would shred those children to pieces if they were not careful. But then Danzō, the only one allowed to pass the sharp-toothed man, had never told them to engage him and attempt to force their way past, and did not have the time to waste trying to stop them.

They were back there, somewhere, alive or dead. Danzō could hardly bring himself to feel any way about either option.

Not when his **_true_** mission was sitting right in front of him, his Sharingan beginning a lazy, almost audible rotation as Danzō slowly began to undo the bandages around his right arm.

The last of the bandages fell to the floor. The rotation stopped cold – the pupils inside their respective tomoe dilating then contracting ever so slightly.

It was a motion impossible to see from the distance, but Danzō sensed it anyway, even though Itachi's face was abnormally blank. He almost looked asleep, or dead, except for his eyes.

"Those Sharingan…" he began.

"Yes. They were from that night," was the frank, shameless response. There was not even a spike of chakra from the Uchiha. Either the man was truly a genius at hiding his emotions, or he truly felt nothing seeing ten of his clansmen's eyes rotating aimlessly in their unnatural sockets, seeing nothing but futilely trying to see everything.

"You've been keeping ties with Orochimaru."

Danzō's response was seamless. "In maintaining peace, darkness is necessary. I do not need to lecture you on such things, Itachi. You drove your brother to the very darkness where Orochimaru resides."

Itachi said nothing, but his Sharingan was spinning again. A murky haze, as thick as tar but flowing as quickly as water through one's fingers, descended over Danzō's mind, before being blown away by a sharp pulse of chakra.

"You said I made an oversight," Itachi began as though his attempt at a genjutsu had not just been violently negated. "What is it?"

"Madara knows." Those two words shattered Itachi's impassive mask to pieces. It was only for a second, but in that second wide, crimson eyes enveloping quivering tomoe, and a mouth whose corners were twisted downwards to reveal a line of pale teeth, scarred the world around them with their frightful wrongness.

It was a look that could have sent a town running for their lives, certain that the Apocalypse had come.

"How?" Itachi's voice was the twin of the look.

Danzō told him the story, slowly sliding his black cloak off his right shoulder, and following it with his sleeve, leaving the right side of his torso – and that _**arm**_ – exposed.

Itachi slowly sat upright in his throne, the tomoe whirling, his left hand gripping the armrest. His face was consternation desperately masked as impassivity, his mind working frantically behind the scenes.

Danzō sighed. It was shameful to see Itachi like this. He would end the man's suffering soon.

"Itachi." The man looked up, his mouth set in a thin line, his eyes sparking with what could almost; if one tilted his head and squinted his eyes just right, and perhaps shone some light at the perfect angle; _**almost**_ be identified as a fire of pure rage.

But the flames were smothered almost as soon as they were ignited, and Itachi's eyes returned to their glasslike serenity.

"Sasuke is going to know," Danzō stated with ruthless simplicity. "If you die here, Madara will simply tell him." He paused, letting it sink in. "There are some workarounds, however."

Itachi watched him, dōjutsu slowed down to its previous lazy spin. Though his eyes had hardened somewhat.

"First. You can kill Madara." The subtle stiffness that entered Itachi's muscles spoke volumes. "I assume you would have, if you had been able. That is the whole point of this, is it not? You turned Sasuke into an avenger to make him strong, so that you can augment his strength with that of your own."

Danzō took a step forward, shrugging as he went. "I admit, it was a flawless plan. But for this oversight, I would not have interfered."

"But you did." Itachi finally spoke, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Why? Why come in person? And why _**replace**_ the Jinchūriki, rather than join him?"

Danzō's mouth twisted in a would-be smile. "You are a cautious man, Itachi. Much like myself. You did not know for sure, whether or not Madara knew, but you undoubtedly came up with a failsafe or two in the event that he did. One of those…" he brought his left hand up slowly, to rest it on his bandaged right eye.

Itachi's gaze held the cold beauty of a painting, his eyes glowing in the bunker's dim light.

_Ah, so he does still feel something_, Danzō thought with bitter disappointment. _Hiruzen's influence cut that deep._

"You had every reason to believe that the Jinchūriki was coming on this mission. Therefore, I suspect that one of your 'failsafes' (he tapped the bandaged eye) had something to do with him. However, if Madara knows about the coup, then he knows about this. He would take precautions, or perhaps even predict your intended use for it. All he has to do, really, is make sure that the Container and Sasuke never meet. A feat that is easy enough to –"

"If you think it is easy," Danzō's blood ran cold. There was something too, too close to a smile rippling over Itachi's face at that moment. "Then you do not know the Jinchūriki."

"I was able to stop him coming on this mission." The smile-that-never-was disappeared completely from Itachi's face, leaving behind nothing but a perceptible chill.

Danzō countered it with a chill of his own. He shook his head. "May I continue from where I left off?" The feigned politeness only made the arrogance _**dripping**_ off of Danzō's every word more loathsome. Itachi remained as still as stone, the chill in his eyes undiminished.

"The second workaround. We let everything continue as you had originally planned. Sasuke comes here. You fight. He is the victor. And then, instead of Madara tucking him under his wing like a wounded fledgling, myself and my team take the exhausted Sasuke as soon as the fight is over, preventing Madara from having him."

Itachi betrayed nothing, not even the fact that he was still breathing. Not that he seemed dead, more like he had become stone itself, a simple extension of the throne in which he sat, almost like the two were carved together out of the same rock.

It was _**remarkable**_; only few shinobi could mould themselves into their environment so thoroughly, and fewer still could do it successfully right in front of an open and alert pair of eyes. And only those the level of a Kage could do it without thinking.

Sadly, in Danzō's eyes, it was a blatant show of Itachi's emotion. The man might as well have burst into hysterics.

"There are a few flaws in that plan, however. The most obvious being that my team is after Sasuke. There is a pink haired kunoichi in particular who is most… eager to see him. When she does (Danzō searched for a way to adequately describe her passion) she will not let him go," he finished simply.

The finality in his tone brought the point home. As soon as she saw him; Itachi's chances of fighting his brother would drop to the negatives.

"But, let us say that, unlikely as it is, I get my team to cooperate. As I said before, Sasuke is nowhere nearby. Even in the unlikely event that he is just outside the 300km radius, it would still take him at least half a day to get here if he runs nonstop and straight on in this direction," the _**sarcasm**_ with which this estimation was given only reinforced its steep improbability.

"When he does arrive he, or someone on his team, is likely to notice our presence. He will either confront us, divert from us, or in the worst case scenario, refuse to fight entirely. And in the case that none of this happens, and the fight continues to its conclusion, I hold no delusions that we will be able to fend Madara off before he makes an escape with your brother. After all, he has a rather peculiar power that is perfectly suited to the task…"

The moment of mild confusion on Itachi's face (only a slight narrowing of the sculpted eyes) horrified Danzō. He briefly explained what he had seen of Madara's power, both on 'that night', and little more than half an hour ago. If the man could plant bombs _**inside**_ of trees, there was no telling where he could stash Sasuke.

Cracks were beginning to spread from where Itachi's right hand had an iron grip on the armrest.

_Another failsafe lost, perhaps?_

Danzō continued.

"The third workaround. You tell him the truth."

The stony façade cracked, and Itachi was alive once more. His eyes were the first to reveal it; incredulity being too strong a word for the subtle emotion shimmering inside them.

It was _**very**_ close to it though.

He moved slightly, as though he was going to open his mouth, to protest, when he hesitated.

Danzō suppressed the minute shake of his head that he so wanted to make.

_How far you've fallen._

"I do believe that this would have worked, had you been healthy." Itachi merely blinked… far too slowly for it to be natural.

Danzō suppressed his smirk; even now, the boy still thought he could keep secrets.

"An illness to which you have not found the cure, therefore it is incurable. Despite this, you were ready to fight to your death today. If you had simply let Sasuke kill you, your brother might have caught on and questioned his victory, but more importantly your motives. Your illness, however, would let you die more 'naturally'. You could easily pass off your very real symptoms as accumulative damage from the battle or overuse of the Mangekyō. You can then drop dead in front of him; Sasuke would be deceived into believing that his goal had been fulfilled and go on his merry way back to Konoha to be hailed as a hero."

Danzō paused, carefully surveying Itachi. There was a reason for all he was saying, this careful expounding.

It was a simple, silent message to the mass murderer: everything about you, your plans, the way you think and feel has already been exposed. It always had been.

But under Danzō's words that tried to worm through Itachi's blood like slowly spreading poison, Itachi only became stone-like once again, glaring down at him with cold eyes and a grim set of his jaw.

Danzō was undeterred. He had expected nothing less after all.

"You were ready to die, using your illness as camouflage. A fatal disease. I would estimate that, despite your excellent guise of health, you do not have much more than a few days, maybe even a few hours."

Danzō drew himself up to full height, looking up at Itachi with the painfully ironic air of a king.

"And here, Itachi, is where we come to a dead end." Danzō stepped forward, his voice grave. "And a nightmare more horrifying than the slaughter of your clan."

Silence rang through the fortress, permeated only by a wind whose origin no one knew. It blew Itachi's bangs, drawing them across his face, making him look almost handsome.

His eyes were frightful though, too frightful for anyone to look long enough to recognise his beauty.

The black tomoe had whirled and stretched, becoming three twisted sickles spiralling around a greatly constricted pupil.

Danzō appeared to face it fearlessly, but the beads of sweat growing on his brow, only to be immediately absorbed by the bandages that hid his right eye, told a much different tale.

He had done too much research to actually be fearless when _**these**_ eyes made an appearance.

"You are sick," his voice was steady, his eyes on Itachi but not looking directly into the spiralling pupils. He would be a fool if he did. "Had you been healthy, and able to stick around long enough to guide and mould and nurture Sasuke towards the right way of thinking, then even if he did know the truth, I would not object. If you were healthy, then you could have been a match for Madara yourself, instead of depending on your brother.

"But you are sick. If you fight Madara, you will die, and he will claim Sasuke. If you fight Sasuke, you will die and he will learn the truth. And if you told him the truth but then died of illness...

"The result of all three would be the same. He would be overrun with grief and guilt, and the _**hatred**_ and desire for vengeance he would have against Konoha would be of such magnitude that he would hurt anyone and everyone in his way, just to relieve himself of his own sorrows. And, most tragic of all, he would do it all in your name, Itachi."

The twisted sickles spun. Danzō swallowed. Itachi had already figured it out, his real reason for coming. He had to buy some time, so he pretended not to notice.

"There is only one way out of this dead end that will spare Konoha from your brother and Madara's wrath. It is the reason why I replaced the Jinchūriki on this mission. Give Shisui Uchiha's other eye, and the complete and perfect Kotoamatsukami, to me. With Madara's knowledge, Sasuke will find out the truth no matter which way we go. This will give Konoha a non-lethal alternative against Sasuke's assault, as well as a viable defence against Madara –"

"You know, Danzō." Danzō froze. He had been standing on a solid, stone floor just a second ago, and now he was sinking waist-deep into a brown, stinking bog.

Itachi was still seated in his throne, his heels resting comfortably in the mire. There were strange shadows playing on his face, making his eyes look unnaturally huge and _**bulging**_.

For a moment, Danzō's vision was filled with red, and he cursed himself for not seeing this genjutsu coming. It was a much subtler one than the first, probably softly and carefully woven immediately after the first one had failed.

Itachi continued speaking, his voice echoing through the space that was now under his control.

"The messenger of bad news should never practice deceit. Most of the time, he would only make the mood of the recipient that much fouler."

The Sharingan glowed, throwing a crimson veil across the entire ceiling that was no longer a ceiling, but a brown and _**slimy**_ sky.

"I do believe you came for Shisui's eye. But I do not believe for a moment that you would see fit to waste the Kotoamatsukami of even one eye on Sasuke. And even if you did mean to do as you say, Madara would most likely search my body for the eye after my death. When he does not find Shisui's other eye, and you start covering both eyes instead of one, well (Itachi Uchiha _**smirked**_, and Danzō's heart almost stopped with fear) he'll get the idea. You will die before you get to meet Sasuke. And you know it. So, instead of wasting the dōjutsu of one eye on what you would deem as 'a lost cause', you would likely save both eyes to use against Madara. But I have a question for you, Danzō…"

Danzō sank an inch further into the swamp. His spine was aching, being the only means of supporting his body as his legs and arms were rendered useless.

Itachi spoke in a voice as ominous as death, his spiralling eyes dancing in the hellish play of shadows.

"Where does all of this leave my brother?" Itachi then deigned to give Danzō a warning. The act alone promised to Danzō his own death, should he disregard it. "Choose your answer carefully."

"The fourth and final workaround," Danzō laboured to speak, the swamp around him pressing against his lungs and making breathing difficult. "We fight your brother together, and kill him."

"**No**."

The response was instantaneous, final and _**loud**_. It was the closest to shouting Danzō had ever heard Itachi get.

"Why?" It was a genuine question. Danzō sank neck-deep into the muck. "Itachi! You must not let your emotions get a hold of you here! As I have _**painstakingly**_ made clear to you, Sasuke _**will**_ become an enemy of Konoha –!"

"There is no Konoha without my otouto."

Danzō floated for a moment, too incensed to speak. Then, he smiled – a thing so disgusting as to rival the stinking swamp around him.

"You are pitiful, Itachi. That you can only expose your true heart, not among family, friends or a lover, but in front of the man who is going to kill you. That is the real reason I have come, merely as insurance if all other avenues of reasoning failed. Your otouto was always the special one, eh Itachi?"

Danzō's voice dripped with bitterness, even as he swallowed some of the bog. Coughing it up as quickly and violently as he could, he continued.

"Not even for the sake of Konoha, of _**peace**_, will you kill that boy or allow him to be killed. It was not even a privilege you allowed your own parents. But I knew it all along. That is why I will kill you, take Shisui's eye – and both of your own – and then with that new power I will pursue, and kill, the remaining Uchihas, Madara and Sasuke _**both**_. If those two are allowed to live, they will throw the shinobi world into chaos and peace will never be grasped. The Nidaime was right, the Uchiha are a curse –"

His last few words bubbled uselessly to the bog's surface, as Danzō was sucked under. He was dying. He could feel it; the thick mud slowly filling his lungs and bursting his alveoli, his stomach bloating with the same foul substance.

He was going to die, he was going to… **No**. For the sake of Konoha and the shinobi world, he could NOT die here.

Shisui's eye _**throbbed**_.

Danzō gritted his teeth and, bitterly fighting the thick sludge that crept between his fingers, brought his hands together in three simple seals.

Then, despite the crippling pain of his collapsing lungs, he shouted out one word with as much force as a drowning man's last breath could make.

"_**Izanagi!**_"

And in the next moment, Itachi staggered back, eyes wide with shock and hands grasping futilely at the kunai lodged in his throat.

* * *

Danzō cursed. Internally. Outwardly, he remained calm as the man before him gave a final death rattle and slumped in his throne, before disintegrating into a swarm of crows.

It was not genjutsu. It was simply a trick of Itachi's, a Shadow Clone made of crows with a dispersal that mimicked the effects of genjutsu. Quite a wicked little mind game, and one that Danzō had fully anticipated.

In spite of that, he could not stop the ignition of his right arm. Danzō screamed and fell back, staring at the black flames that slowly devoured the limb and the eyes within it as they spun wildly in their sockets.

One eye managed to close before it popped from the heat.

And there Danzō stood, the Amaterasu disappeared out of existence, and his arm and eight remaining eyes whole.

He faced Itachi, who stood silently at the opposite end of the room, a single Sharingan glowing lowly in the dark. Blood, thick and dark, made a too perfect arc from his closed right eye, down his cheek to gather and drip from his chin.

Whether he had substituted himself with the clone at the last moment, or the clone had been seated in that throne all along, Danzō did not know nor care.

He was certain that the real Itachi was before him now. Now that Danzō had made clear his intentions, Itachi could no longer let him go.

Not that it mattered.

Itachi moved first, a startling change from his usual, aloof fighting style. Moved was not the accurate term either, since Danzō did not see actual motion.

One moment, Itachi was there, and the next Danzō was parrying a kunai aimed for his heart. Itachi flowed with the motion, whipping round to deliver what would have just been a devastating backhand, but was made lethal with the kunai blade that aimed to penetrate Danzō's skull.

Danzō barely managed to block with his right arm.

Undeterred, Itachi completed his 360 degree spin and tossed the kunai to his left hand. He _**gripped**_ Danzō's wrist with his right, yanking the whole arm forward.

Danzō could only watch as, with a marvellous liquid motion, Itachi's kunai sliced downwards, aiming for a swift amputation.

Desperate, Danzō ducked under the hostage arm, almost dislocating his shoulder in the process, and jabbed with the kunai he had used to block Itachi's, aiming with lethal precision for a spot between his ribs to puncture a lung.

Two ribs, orange and red and flaming with chakra, sprung into existence, protecting Itachi's side. The kunai blade struck one of them and snapped cleanly in half.

Danzō blinked, and in that second his right arm was chopped off with mirror neatness.

A normal kunai could not do that, could only rend flesh not cut through bone. A kunai covered in eternal black flames, and wielded in an arm whose strength was powered with chakra, could decapitate a man.

Danzō supposed he should be grateful, then, that Itachi settled for the arm, which hung limp in his grasp.

The eyes had stopped their endless, aimless rolling in their sockets, and were now all staring at him.

_**That**_ was _**creepy**_. It was almost as though they could _**see**_. And there was almost a certain _**emotion**_ in their gaze. One that Danzō did not like.

Not that he had to endure it for long.

The arm faded, rippling out of Itachi's grip as though it were a dream. The flames surrounding Danzō's right stump disappeared, and his arm was made whole again.

Itachi stared at him, the strange crimson ribs disappearing from his side, his eyes calculating.

Danzō almost smiled. This was why, even though their ideals differed, Itachi would always be a shinobi for whom he held the highest respect. The man _**never**_ despaired from a failed strategy – he merely re-evaluated.

And without missing a beat, Itachi's hands flew into seals. Danzō dashed back, putting a dozen meters' distance between them in seconds.

It was not enough.

"_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**_"

_He's gotten better. _Danzō felt the technique's intensity from the first instance it bloomed from Itachi's mouth. By the time the great fireball reached him, his face, neck and arms were already blistering with second degree burns. Still, he was confident as he made his seals.

"_**Fūton: Shinkūha!**_"

Normally, throwing a wind-natured technique at an abnormally powerful fire-natured technique was a _**terrible**_ idea.

Throwing it at a floor thickly layered with a decade's worth of dust to _**counter**_ a fire technique was nothing short of genius.

Danzō's technique raised great plumes of dust, immediately covering the entire battleground in a dark cloud. It also dug grooves into the floor, pulverizing the material into a fine substance that added to the billowing haze.

Danzō squinted, unable to see beyond a few feet as he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. His eye watered, and in a surreal fraction of a moment, he wondered if the dust would irritate the Sharingan in his arm.

The fireball was immediately extinguished before it ever reached its target. But before Danzō could feel a moment's relief, a gravelly voice reached him through the cloud.

"_**Suiton –**_"

_Water technique?!_ Surprised, Danzō staggered back, preparing new seals even while bracing himself for the blow. Itachi had gotten much more versatile during his time away from the village; he had probably learned water techniques to counter the counters to his fire style.

"_**Suiryūdan no…"**_

_He stopped? _

And then, Danzō heard the most _**wonderful**_, most _**wretched**_ series of sounds he had ever heard in his seven long decades of life, rivalling the sounds of war that were forever etched into his ears.

A cough.

A cough wet with blood and mucus.

A desperate wheezing, retching and gasping, the sickening splatting of blood dripped through fingers and onto the floor, and at last, a loud and final thud.

Itachi Uchiha had fallen to his knees, succumbed to the symptom of the disease that plagued him.

It was a happy moment for Danzō, one of the few that could rival his joy when he finally became Hokage.

Almost dizzy with the sheer _**ecstasy**_ of his near decided victory, Danzō finished his seals and took a deep breath, avoiding sucking in the surrounding dust entirely. Itachi was not the first Katon user he had nullified using a dust cloud, after all.

"_**Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!**_"

Danzō spat out the compressed air bullets, each one the size of a peanut, but each one able to pierce his enemy's skull.

Which they all aimed to do. It did not matter if the dust was still too thick to see him; Itachi's fit had him making enough noise that Danzō's aim could only be true.

In an almost deafening silence he waited, counting the seconds – _two…three…four…_

**Crunch! Squelch!** A cry of pain that not even a decade of cold emotionlessness could hold back, and then silence.

Danzō had won. He did not believe it.

After a few seconds of silence, he took a tentative step forward. The dust that had once been his saviour was now a nuisance, taunting him in its slow settling. There was no telling, until the dust cleared, if the Uchiha was alive or dead, unconscious or even hit at all. Even the coughing, Danzō knew, could have been a trap to lure him.

But those blood splatters had sounded awfully real. Itachi was brilliant, but would he really go into that much detail? Danzō wished he could have heard his ragged breathing, but the cloud muffled sound to some extent.

After a minute or so had passed, Danzō stepped closer, and closer still. Could he dare hope…believe that he had…? No, not yet. But, "_**Kai!**_" he could conserve a little chakra. The chakra drain of three Izanagis in a row was nothing to ignore.

His pace quickened to a slow walk. He heard nothing from the Uchiha. He was less than three meters away when he stepped on something. It made a light crunch, almost like…

Danzō crouched slowly and felt the thing under his foot. Feathers. Pinching what felt like bone with two fingers, he picked up the creature by its wing.

A dead crow hung there, its wing broken from when Danzō had stepped on it. It had a hole the size of a peanut through its breast.

Without moving, Danzō knew there were other crows all around him. All dead in like manner.

Without seeing, he knew it was the sheer force of Itachi's roaring chakra that suddenly blew a significant portion of the dust away.

However, he did move, and was grateful for the sudden visibility when a great fist, solidified scarlet, punched a hole through the ceiling.

He dodged the falling concrete, following Itachi with his eyes, watching as a full ribcage, made of that same fearsome chakra, formed around him along with a spine to his back and a skull whose hollow eyes held a demonic yellow glow.

Itachi leapt through the hole in the roof, blood flying from his left arm.

Despite this, he still spared a backwards glance for Danzō.

"_**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!**_"

Danzō swore – there was no time to recast the Izanagi. He dodged; his fluid agility spitting in the face of his age as he deftly backflipped, handspringed, darted, ran and leaped past all of the miniature fireballs.

They followed him mercilessly, making sharp turns only possible through chakra control, even employing feints and weaves to confuse him.

Danzō snarled. He should have just hurled kunai into the spot where Itachi was and be done with it. He had been too cautious.

Kunai flashed into his hands and he speared the fireballs, forcing them to disperse. A few still got too close; he slashed at them, but the flames still managed to litter his left arm.

That was nothing. As long as his right arm was safe, he was still in the fight.

He looked to the hole, and saw that Itachi was gone. But a giant skeletal hand reached for him with frightening speed, tendons and muscles moulding around the bone as it went.

Danzō's hands desperately flew into seals, but he was not fast enough.

In an instant shorter than a breath, Itachi was staring up at him with both of his Mangekyō.

From lips covered and crusted with dirty blood, he spoke a single word.

"Reconsider."

Danzō scoffed. Then choked as the fingers around him tightened their grip.

"So this… is Susano'o."

It was truly marvellous; a great warrior, a spiritual guardian created entirely out of ferocious chakra. It was all bone now, save for the arm that held him, but it was still a power that Danzō _**longed**_ for, and would have once he had Shisui's other eye.

Danzō smiled, even as the glow in the Susanoo's eyes brightened and it squeezed, snapping one of his ribs. He groaned, expelled a gasp that was meant to be a cough, and tasted blood.

"I do not want to kill you." Though his coughing subsided, and his breathing was under control, the Uchiha's voice still scratched, as though the dust that had aggravated his lungs was still stuck somewhere in his throat.

"Though your methods are ruthless and oftentimes suspect (Danzō did not miss his glance to his right arm), I understand why you would think they are necessary. And though you are jealous, greedy and power-hungry (a reprimanding squeeze kept Danzō from arguing) I know you are loyal to Konoha. Reconsider on my brother, and let us end this fight."

Danzō gasped, again meaning to cough.

"Your brother…do you see a way to save him now…without condemning Konoha to his hatred?"

Itachi fixed him with a truly bottomless look.

"No," he said finally. "Reconsider, Danzō."

Danzō was shocked, but beyond that, he was _**furious**_. "Hypocrite! It's always him! Your brother your brother – that _**damned boy**_! You'd slay your own kin to spare him, and now you condemn the _**world**_ to save him!" In a low, gravelled voice, shaking with the deepest rage, "You even sacrifice _**peace**_ for his life. It's _**unforgivable**_."

Itachi's lips parted, then closed. He shook his head and gave Danzō a look.

A final look.

Susano'o squeezed.

Danzō suppressed his chakra.

Hashirama's chakra flourished, blooming forth as the chakra that had restrained it for decades was finally pulled back. And from Danzō's right arm, a great tree grew, shattering the hand of the Susano'o.

Danzō lost sight of Itachi behind the rapidly growing and twisting wood; he quickly released his chakra, reigned in control of Hashirama's, and snapped the tree off of his right arm, or rather the face of the First Hokage eerily positioned on his outer shoulder.

At last his hands performed the three seals.

There was a crash on the other side of the tree; not a second later a blade of ghost-like liquid edged in dancing fire shot from the trunk and speared Danzō through.

It happened with such speed that he did not even have time to feel pain. All he knew was that he was melting – which was a rather strange sensation. It was the feel of all of one's bones dislocating and dissolving, leaving one's flesh to liquefy and slough off into the liquid flames; all without the expected excruciating pain, which in a way made the entire process much more horrifying.

Under the Totsuka's powerful current, Danzō's formless mass of flesh was dragged back into the gourd that served as the sword's hilt. Into that bottomless darkness would he fall, fall, keep falling into an endless world of drunken dreams…

_**Izanagi!**_

Danzō panted as he skidded back, his flesh and bones solidified, and all of his joints popped back into place.

Then he screamed, more in surprise than pain, as a flaming shuriken stabbed into his shoulder. He looked up; the sky was filled with fire and steel, a veritable storm of flames raining down upon his head.

Danzō drew up his hand, creating a large arc of wind which he threw at the firestorm. It worked – the wind tumbled the shuriken, throwing them off their intended path, and outing their flames like candles. A few still got through, but they were easily blocked with a kunai wielded in his left hand.

Danzō smirked; the _**Hōsenka Tsumabeni**_ was a good technique that combined an already powerful fire technique and shuriken jutsu, but it just was not enough.

He knew what Itachi had been trying to do; he was attacking hard and fast in hopes that Danzō would use up all his eyes. And now that he knew that Danzō could turn the technique on and off (shown by his using the tree instead of another Izanagi), this blitzkrieg strategy was the best option Itachi had. If he slowed down and prolonged the fight, Danzō would just turn the technique off. And as long as the technique was on, Danzō was immortal.

But here, Itachi had made a mistake. Danzō had only used four eyes so far. And sure he was running low on chakra, but from what Danzō could see with his one fully functional Sharingan, Itachi was nearing the end. The boy always did have pitifully low reserves. The trade-off for being a prodigy.

He raised his head, prepared to lecture Itachi, and was faced with a giant, gauntleted fist bearing down. With a final, earth-quaking crash, it pounded him through the ceiling. His corpse shot into the floor of the bunker below, meeting the hard stone with the terrible sound of bones shattering and pressurized flesh being flung out of place.

The impact created a crater three meters wide, and blood spread like grotesque wine from the corpse's head.

Itachi took barely a moment to confirm Danzō's death (which would only keep him down for about a minute) before he gripped his cloaked chest, trying to resist the urge to succumb to another coughing fit.

He could feel the bloody mucus sloshing in his lungs and pooling in the back of his throat; helplessly, he coughed it up, grimacing as the action shook his entire body, and only amplified the cellular-level pain that came with using the Susano'o.

But he only had to keep it up a little while longer. Just until –

Itachi's thoughts ended as a wind the strength of a hurricane gripped him and his Warrior, pulling them to its origin below the ceiling.

The roar of an elephant rose above the gale, and a pale trunk smashed through the ceiling where Danzō's corpse had flown just moments before.

Itachi could see its tusked, gaping mouth right below him; chunks of ceiling and whole uprooted trees flying past him and disappearing into the dark abyss of its throat.

He gritted his teeth, as even within Susano'o, he slid forward inch by inch.

_Baku. Not good._

The Yata mirror was useless here; it was only able to repel oncoming attacks, and was powerless against the forces of suction.

However, the solution was almost pitifully simple. Especially for an Uchiha.

He formed the seals, even as great blades of wind slammed into his Susano'o from behind. Their power augmented from the Summon's powerful suction, they peeled apart his stalwart warrior's flesh, exposing its spine and Itachi himself to the open.

"_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**_" As with everything else, the dumb beast sucked Itachi's flames from his mouth – right into its own. The creature screamed as its entire head caught fire, and it vanished in a puff of smoke.

With only a small push of his will, the Yata mirror spun around to cover Itachi's back. It was a rapid motion; there was a punishing clang followed by a mangled yell as Danzō was sent flying.

Not missing a beat, Itachi finally turned around and carefully aimed for the place Danzō's insensible body would land. Once there, he sent forth the Totsuka no Tsurugi, the ethereal blade piercing Danzō for the second time.

A shimmering of flesh turned into a dream, the closing of a disposable Sharingan that forever lost its light, and Danzō stood strong, if not a little battered, before him.

He looked at his arm. And smirked.

Itachi mouth also twisted into a grimace, that of pain as, with a dying roar, the Susano'o finally vanished.

He coughed up blood. Two attacks with the blade of Totsuka, and a full battle using his ultimate technique; they all took their toll at once, and it was worse than Itachi had anticipated.

It was all necessary, but as the Uchiha opened his eyes, and realised that the red, fuzzy worms in front of him were his own blood-soaked fingers, he knew the cost had been extreme.

Though he had won this battle, his eyes barely had any of their light left. He could almost feel the cataracts growing inside them, blocking his pupils. His Sharingan could barely move, feeling more like rusted gears than smoothly spinning pinwheels.

How would he face Sasuke now?

Itachi paused, seemingly ignoring Danzō as he blew rainbow-coloured wind chakra onto his kunai, growing the reach of its blade to that of a sword.

How… would he face Sasuke now? For the first time in over a decade, ever since he made the decision that cursed Sasuke's heart and fate, he asked himself a simple but excruciating question.

_What will I do now?_

Danzō, uninterested in giving him time to answer, charged in, brandishing his blade, ready to run it through Itachi's mucus-filled chest.

Itachi slowly turned to face him.

_What will I do?_

Danzō stabbed. So did Itachi, sidestepping slightly so the blade hit nothing vital, giving him a flesh wound that was easily taken care of.

Itachi's blade, however, buried itself hilt-deep into Danzō's chest, and right through his heart. The man near collapsed on Itachi's shoulder, coughing up blood that soaked through the black cloak's fine material.

He was, well, in excruciating pain of course, but more than that he was _**confused**_. There was no way a kunai could reach that far unless it was augmented like his own had been.

Did Itachi have a sword? Impossible. If he had, he would have used it by now. And there were no records or intelligence to suggest that, ever since leaving Konoha, the boy had ever used a sword.

Then what…?

Danzō looked down. There was no fear of death or self-cursing for his failure in his eyes, only honest bewilderment. He gasped, recognising the hilt of Itachi's blade immediately.

A hilt black as night, with an even darker diamond pattern cutting straight down its middle and dirty bandages – blackened with the blood of a past lifetime and now dyed afresh with his own – wrapped around the base of the blade.

It had changed slightly over the years, but this was the standard katana design for Konoha Anbu.

Danzō stared in shock at the blade, then up at Itachi. Blood stained his teeth and dripped from the corners of his mouth as he asked, "You… kept it?"

Itachi only stared straight ahead, his onyx eyes wide. It was the first time since Danzō had approached him that the old man saw Itachi's natural eyes.

What a tempest they were now.

Danzō was sure that, chronic disease or not, he would have had a harder time in their duel if Itachi's mind was whole.

But Itachi was breaking. He had been all throughout the fight and now the boy's mind was on its last leg.

And Danzō still had four more Izanagi at his disposal.

But…strange. Danzō coughed as his lungs filled up with blood and his heart stuttered.

Why wasn't Izanagi activating?

* * *

That bird was still there.

Kakashi stared at it before leaping back, landing on the surface of a small river behind him. Ever since Kiba escaped by pretending he and Akamaru had done another failed Gatsūga, then disappearing into the forest when the mask was not looking, they had spent the last half hour trying to defeat, capture, or just get by their enemy.

All to no avail. After letting three slip by him, the Akatsuki member seemed to decide to get serious.

Not by actually getting serious, however, as he still danced, played and used the most _**foolish**_ _**sounding**_ jutsu, most of which did absolutely nothing at all.

His only offence so far was putting bombs in trees, and since he had tried to stop Sakura and Danzō from leaving, he had only done that once – which was responsible for Sai's now broken drawing arm. Oh, and there was that one kick that had sent Hinata flying into the same river on which Kakashi now stood – and with such force that she snapped her wrist against the river bottom.

She was focused now on healing Sai, her own injuries only patched up to the bare minimum. Shino covered them both, his insects buzzing around the trio in a protective swarm. Yamato was somewhere in, or inside the trees, waiting for the slightest signal from Kakashi to strike, while searching for an opening himself.

The mask, or Tobi as he had introduced himself after kicking Hinata, sat down on his new tree branch, swinging his legs and humming tonelessly while vigilantly watching them all.

Kakashi was not fooled by the childish act. The next person who tried to slip past him was either going to get maimed, or die. Or something much worse.

He had been in the process of making experimental attacks, trying to decipher the nature of Tobi's intangibility, when he saw the bird.

Again.

The first time he had seen it, it had flown in at around the same time that Kiba had made his escape. It had landed on a branch, watching the battle between the Leaf shinobi and the single Akatsuki.

And it had stayed, only moving when startled by the same bomb that almost took Sai's arm off. And even then, it had simply moved to another tree that it was pretty sure was not going to explode any time soon, and roosted comfortably, sometimes preening a wing but mostly staring right at them. Or more specifically, right at Kakashi.

That was weird. The bird was a Konoha messenger bird. Not only did they already get one message a little over two hours ago, but this bird, while wearing the proper jōnin grey sash, was not acting like a properly trained bird at all.

If a messenger bird came upon a scene of battle at its destination, it was to immediately hide itself until the danger had passed. To that end, they were trained to sense things like spilt blood or hostile chakra from over a kilometre's distance. When the battle was over, they were to go straight to the one in command, or the one who survived, to take any messages back to Konoha. If only corpses were around, they gouged out pieces of flesh from the Konoha shinobi to take back. Every ninja down to the smallest genin knew how to decipher _**that**_ message at least.

But this bird was _**still there**_. It should not have come at all, having sensed battle. It could be untrained, or still green, but then Konoha would never send such a bird out on the field, and certainly not to an S-ranked mission.

And then Kakashi froze and almost hit himself. There was one exception.

If the message was a command from the Hokage to her shinobi to abandon their mission, and immediately disengage and retreat from any and all battle, then the entire Fire Country could be burning to ash and that bird would stay rigid, in plain sight, staring at its home shinobi and waiting for its message to be opened.

Kakashi grabbed the bird, took the scroll from its pouch, and read without interruption from friend or foe.

His eyes grew wide. Not too shocking. His body shook. Unnerving, but still not too bad.

But then, Hatake Kakashi, Legendary Copy Ninja and Man of a Thousand Jutsu, fell to his knees, his eyes filling with a suspicious substance that almost looked like tears.

His team was around him in an instant, including Yamato who leapt from his hiding place right behind the Akatsuki (the mask did not even flinch having known he was there all along). Tobi leaned forward, listening as Kakashi gave some sort of instruction to the artist.

Tobi thought it was creepy how that boy smiled even though his arm was still bending the wrong way. "The drawings will be a little shaky as I'm using my left hand, but they'll do their job." And moments later, dozens of lopsided black ink mice scurried off into the forest. Tobi supposed he could send Zetsu to intercept them, but the idiot was probably still watching Itachi and Danzō's fight.

No matter. Tobi already knew what Konoha's message was. He had read the man's lips (it was easy enough even through his mask) and even without that, there were very few things that Kakashi would be emotionally invested enough to shed tears over.

A prodigal student's homecoming was at the very top of that list.

* * *

"W-why?" Danzō staggered back, snapping the ten year old blade as he did so. His blood trickled steadily from the broken (and rapidly rusting) steel in his chest to his feet, bloodying each trembling footstep.

"What… did you do? Why won't Izanagi…?"

Itachi stared at him, that bland wide-eyed gaze. He turned that gaze slowly to the now useless hilt of his sword.

Why did he keep it?

Itachi did not know why he kept it.

All he knew was that when he had first brought this blade home, Sasuke held it up over his head (in its sheath of course) and proclaimed that his Nii-san was going to beat up all the bad guys with his new Blade of Justice. Then Shisui had come over – with one of his grandfather's keepsake bottles of sake – and in a rather senseless ritual had 'blessed' the katana by pouring the treasured alcohol over its blade.

And when, after that wretched night, he went to Akatsuki, it was the only thing of his uniform that he could not bear to burn. Instead he kept it in a seal inside the sleeve of his cloak, and there it had remained until this moment.

Why had he used it now?

Did it matter?

It was broken now, anyway. Itachi tilted his hand, letting the hilt clatter to the floor.

Danzō stared. Itachi's face was the same blank painting it had always been. But his eyes were _**unhinged**_. There was not even an effort on Itachi's part to hide it – probably because he did even know he was showing it.

That was a bad sign. Something had broken inside of him and Danzō, who by now was only alive because of Hashirama's cells, knew it was his death if he did not act quickly.

But before he could even raise his arms, Itachi's gaze was on him, and he put his fingers to his lips in a one-handed sign.

"Kai."

_Genjutsu_! Danzō's horrified thought rang true as the mist lifted from his brain. On instinct, he looked at his arm.

The six eyes he had used voluntarily were closed normally. The other four, however, had been destroyed. One had been stabbed with a kunai blade, one burned until it popped, the gross liquid having dried into a sticky film over the back of his hand. The remaining two looked like they had been stabbed and burned simultaneously, though the stab wounds were smaller. Shuriken.

"Y-you've…been destroying them."

Itachi walked towards him, a kunai slipping into his hand, his eyes glinting with a terrifying madness.

Despite this, he spoke so calmly.

"It was my last resort. The Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and cutting off the limb did not work."

_So all those were tests?! He built four theories on how to stop a legendary kinjutsu, executed them, disregarded the failures and found the one that worked, all in little more than a minute… _

"I destroyed the first eye as a test of my genjutsu's effect on your Izanagi. It was when I chopped off your arm."

_Even with his illness, even with his deteriorating mental state…I was still no match?_

Danzō fell to one knee, the pain overwhelming him in that moment. Itachi glanced down at him, unconcerned, and continued.

"I wanted to see if putting a genjutsu on you to make you believe an eye was undamaged would affect Izanagi's regenerative effect." Itachi shrugged. "It did. The Izanagi cannot repair damage or reverse a situation its user does not know about. So I kept destroying your eyes, and my genjutsu kept you none the wiser. That way, when Izanagi activated, the eyes I destroyed remained that way, closed forever to the light.

"The first eye I stabbed when I cut off your arm. The second I hit with my Hōsenka. It was when you used your left arm to block that final volley. The third and fourth eyes were the victims of my Tsumabeni.

"The fifth and sixth…well, you were partially right there, Danzō, about my hard and fast attacks. In addition to destroying your eyes, I also forced you to use up your remaining ones. You ran out long before you tried to run me through with your sword."

Danzō was stunned. How had Itachi known – he had never revealed what he thought Itachi's strategy was…

_Of course._ A moment of horrifying clarity and awe, and Danzō could _**see**_. Itachi had used such an obvious strategy because that was what he _**wanted**_ Danzō to focus on and 'figure out'. If an opponent thought they had already found the main flaw, they would be less likely to go looking for others, or even recognise that others existed. It was brilliant and awful and so obvious now in hindsight.

After all, Danzō _**knew**_ Itachi. Was this not the very same tactic he used on his brother? To fill his eyes with hatred for him and the one goal of an avenger, while forever blinding him to the massacre's _**truth**_, and Konoha's shame.

Draw your focus to the lie, and forever conceal the truth. It was Itachi's ninja way, and Danzō had fallen prey to it.

Unaware of Danzō's epiphany, or perhaps simply not caring, Itachi kept speaking. His walk had deteriorated into an old man's shuffle, his body hunched over in pain – whose full extent adrenaline alone kept him from feeling.

"You thought that, since you broke out of my Tsukuyomi at the beginning, probably using some power from Shisui's eye to make the seals you needed (was that _**bitterness**_ in Itachi's voice?), that you no longer had to worry about my genjutsu. You got overconfident. That was your downfall."

Danzō snarled. "You should have been…suffering from that…"

Itachi blinked. "I see…I misspoke then. If you had _**broken out**_ with a genjutsu reversal technique, or a strong enough burst of chakra, I would have indeed felt the backlash. But you _**slipped through **_with Izanagi, so your escape was not a strong enough shock to affect me –"

Itachi froze. His chest imploded, his eyes flashed with a premonition of red before he lurched forward, staining the ground before him with blood.

He started to fall, but never completed the motion, remaining suspended as something that felt as cold and hard as chains – but weren't – snaked around his body, holding him awkwardly upright. His eyes rolled as far as they could go in their sockets and watched (with rapidly failing vision) a progression of black curse marks crawl over his skin, twisting their way around his hands and up his sleeves.

A paralysis seal, probably set during their last point of contact. Now, he could not even cough. The blood was pooling again, filling his mouth with gore before it overflowed and leaked out over his lips.

"If…I must die…" Danzō smiled triumphantly, his teeth slicked with blood. "I'll take … you … YEAARRRGGGGH!" If Itachi could have turned his head, it would have amazed him that a tree with a trunk nearly twenty feet wide, dwarfing the previous one several times over, could all but explode out of such a skinny arm without ripping it to shreds.

With a strangled snarl of a yell, and a horrific and woody snap, the roof stopped shaking, the marks disappeared from Itachi's body, and Danzō collapsed once again, wheezing as his crimson life slowly seeped out of him, and his heart gave its last few shuddering beats.

Missing his right arm, which was still embedded somewhere within the gnarled twists of wood and vines, Danzō glared up as Itachi finally finished his approach, and looked down at him with a familiar expression; cold, perfect beauty worthy of becoming the world's most priceless painting.

"I will now take Shisui's eye. You have failed to truly appropriate its use." And he reached down with bloodied fingers bent into a claw.

A snarl from Danzō and a pulse of chakra from Shisui's eye (_'Finally it's recovered!'_) tried to stop him.

A tap to Danzō's forehead negated the effort as abruptly as a reprimanding slap to a wilful child.

"What…?"

"A seal," was all the explanation Itachi gave to him, digging with unstoppable purpose into the bandages covering the eye.

Itachi did not see him at all. That last use of chakra stole the poor remnants of his vision; his eyes were grey, almost white, the cataracts having all but filled them completely. They were unfocused, staring at the point where Itachi sensed him to be, but not _**seeing**_ him.

But Shisui's eyes…would let him see. And give him power unimaginable.

Itachi had almost dug the eye out of its socket when Danzō skidded back, nearly completing the process himself. With his remaining hand, he ripped open what was left of his robe, revealing his bare chest and the black seal imprinted on it.

Itachi could not see, but above Danzō's ranting, he could still sense the swell of hostile chakra. From his own practice with seals, he recognised the feel of a sealing jutsu.

And this was a big one. He made to leap back but his chest constricted with pain.

"…do not fear death now! For the sake of Konoha, for the sake of the ninja world, I cannot allow you to live!"

Itachi _**felt**_ it coming. Summoning every last ounce of his will and shreds of chakra, he leaped away as far as he could.

It was not far enough. Something wet, heavy and _**reeking**_ of the good-as-dead man's chakra splashed onto his leg, and he was immediately being pulled at incredible speeds, the spray of ink, or something very close to it, roaring in his ears.

Itachi did not see the seal, but its effects were something similar to his own Totsuka blade. He was going to be sealed away, permanently. And then Sasuke would never get his eyes, or even the Mangekyō. In fact, Sasuke would have nothing. To hear that his brother had died by a hand other than his own; the news would leave Sasuke hollow and void of any purpose.

He would have no reason to get strong or keep the strength he had already acquired. All he would have left would be an unresolved hatred and a bitterness that would leave him stagnant as both shinobi and person.

He would be easy pickings for Madara.

Itachi could NOT let that come to pass.

And so for the final time, over the scarred, blasted rooftop of one of the last remaining monuments of the Uchiha clan's legacy, the call of a single forbidden jutsu rang out.

_**Izanagi!**_

And Itachi's left eye closed forever to the light.

* * *

**A/N: There is one thing I learned from writing this chapter. Choreographing fight scenes. Is. HARD. Seriously, hats off to you Kishimoto for doing so many of them. The dialogue, the fighting styles, the dang jutsu names! Do you know how many times I had to watch Danzo vs Sasuke, and Sasuke vs Itachi to get their lines and their styles and their EVERYTHING right?! I couldn't have picked Sakura and Tsunade where they would just punch each other until one of them wins. No. I HAD to do two of the most serious and complex characters in the whole dang Naruto series!**

**Okay, enough ranting. I am personally very proud of this chapter, but don't let that hold you back. Let me know how I did. **

**And as always, thank you all who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I hope this chapter was enjoyable, cuz I _definitely_ had fun writing it.**

**And yes, I know this baby is VERY long but I just couldn't cut it anywhere.**

**See you all next time. **


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sakura ran towards the terraced hill, atop of which sat the fortress where Danzō had set off to meet Itachi about half an hour earlier.

As she ran, she healed a 4 inch long laceration on her left bicep. That wound was courtesy of the enormous bandaged blade that bobbed in front of her, hefted over its wielder's shoulder.

He was running ahead, and Sakura knew that even if he was carrying Kiba and Akamaru on his other shoulder, he would still manage to keep a good distance ahead of her.

She did not question her own strength. The guy was pumped full of chakra, and had gotten even more off the three of them during their brief bout. It was just completely unfair, like reprimanding a non-Hyūga because they could not see through walls.

In fact, seeing as she was just about to tap into the last of her chakra reserves herself, and Kiba was just as badly off, she would say they were doing pretty well just to keep up with this guy.

Not that they were chasing him. He was not their objective anymore; he never had been really. They were all simply heading in one direction; she and Kiba to Danzō, and he most likely to his partner.

As the battle on that hilltop had gotten more intense, their own battle's intensity had lessened, both sides finding the skies of fire, hurricane force winds, a giant crimson warrior dressed in full battle armour and randomly growing trees quite distracting.

However, it was the massive orb of black, swirling chakra that finally ended the fight. At least for the giant, who had clenched his wickedly sharp teeth and jetted off, with the Konoha shinobi right behind him.

Sakura did not recognise the effects of this jutsu, but judging by the way their former opponent, Kisame, was picking up speed, they were not good.

She blinked, catching something that glinted in his left hand. A medicine capsule. A personal favourite of Sakura's, and very convenient in battle against poison users.

Why would he have one though? He was not a medic-nin as far as she could tell.

_Wait…_ She looked to the fortress and back again. _Could it be…?_

By the time they arrived, the bunker was nothing more than a hollowed out shell.

Perfectly hollowed out, as though a giant hand had come down and scooped half of the building away, leaving a flawlessly smooth curve in what was left of the ceiling and floor, and a pristine circular crater ten feet deep into the ground.

And lying dead in the centre of that crater was Danzō. Kiba and Akamaru ran to him immediately, but Sakura, only needing one look to know his fate, looked around. Her eyes spotted Kisame naturally – someone that big running at top speed in an empty room was very hard to ignore – but she tore her gaze away from him, instead following the line to where he was headed.

And there she found Itachi, lying face down, looking just as dead as Danzō. His Akatsuki cloak was torn to shreds, and Sakura saw blood from a stab wound just above his appendix.

She looked from Danzō to Itachi. Kiba knew the procedure for handling a comrade's corpse, she was sure of that. That aside, her goal was _**right in front of her**_. It might as well have been Sasuke lying there.

But with Kisame kneeling next to him, Itachi might as well have been in another country entirely.

Still, she was closer than Naruto got to be. She could not go back to the Hidden Leaf and face him without at least _**trying**_.

She pulled a kunai and took one step towards the duo. Kisame swore and stabbed Itachi right in the jugular with the capsule. Sakura's eyes focused on the rapidly draining liquid; opaque with leafy green colour; medicine made with many herbs and left mostly untreated from its natural state. With what Sakura knew about the nature of his disease, she narrowed down the possibility to a powerful and highly distilled broncholidator.

That meant Itachi was still alive.

But Kisame was still hovering over him, with a look of concern that she did not want to acknowledge. He was a missing-nin, the same as Itachi. There was no telling how many people he had slaughtered before, and after joining Akatsuki.

That, and she might still be bitter about her arm, which still throbbed. He had almost taken the whole thing off, which would have been an especially messy and painful amputation with that serrated blade of his. And still, she was sure that to him, that was only a 'love tap'. If he had swung at her seriously, well, let's just say her ninja career would have come to an abrupt end.

She shook her head. This was not the time to be thinking about these things. Itachi was there. And he was dying. He was only a link to Sasuke if he was alive.

"Hey. Kisame, right?" The blue man looked up, his mouth, and the shark-like teeth in it, set into a definite frown.

That terrified her. Between the two, she preferred the sadistic smile he had worn when he 'nipped' her with his sword a lot more.

"I'll get right to the point." Her voice betrayed nothing of her fear, and for that she was glad. Inhuman strength and 'miraculous' healing were not the only things she inherited from her Shishou. "I can heal him. Enough that he'll live."

The eyes with pinpoint pupils widened, even as his frown deepened. Hope awakened, but he was waiting for the catch.

"In exchange, you hand him over to us." Kisame snorted. Sakura smirked. "Fine, let him die then."

The light smirk fled from Kisame's face. But it returned too soon. "You need him alive to find his brother."

"Not really," Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like he's on another planet. He's somewhere out in the world, it will just take a little longer to find him. It's not impossible. After all, we did find Itachi, didn't we?"

Only because of a very loose lead supplied by the intricate underground information networks built by Lord Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, over the course of decades, but he did not need to know that.

Kisame stared at her, his face an impressive mirror of Itachi's blankness. Not that Sakura would recognise it. But she did know he was trying to make his thoughts inscrutable.

She considered the option that he might just be all right with letting Itachi die in front of him. But he had truly seemed concerned about the man, if sprinting all the way here to inject him with medicine meant anything.

"All right. You have a deal. Do what you can and Itachi-san's yours."

Well. That was easier than expected.

"Drop your sword and kick it over there first," she said, pointing to the crater. Kisame grinned – Sakura took a tiny step back – and did as he was told.

"Heads up Kiba!"

"Wha – OW! What the hell?!" Sakura could only assume that Samehada had dropped right on Kiba's head, or on his foot.

She did not have the luxury of laughing. Instead, as per the deal, she walked over to Itachi, knelt down, and pressed healing palms of chakra to his back.

She gasped and recoiled. She stared at him, while Kisame stared at her, doing his best not to ask questions and break her concentration.

With sudden movement, she turned Itachi's body over, using a bit of chakra strength to move the dead weight.

She suppressed a gasp and swallowed a bit of saliva upon seeing his face; absolute _**caked**_ with dust to the point that his sweat left visible tracks. Streams of dried blood ran from his right eye, while wet and tacky gore shimmered on his bottom lip, what showed of his teeth, and the entirety of his chin. She glanced to his hands; his fingers were covered thickly with the sticky substance.

If he had been coughing up blood like this, and still managed to win against Danzō, then the old man had been right. Not about Naruto of course, but they had been way over their heads about capturing Itachi.

Behind her, Kisame swore again. She glanced back at him.

"Get a cloth or something and apply pressure to that wound," she told him, nodding to the stab wound in Itachi's side. "I'll deal with it later."

_Along with that hole in his left arm._ Sakura blinked and confirmed her suspicion. He had cauterized the wound with Katon chakra so his arm was still functional enough to create seals. It would have still hurt like hell. But by this point, Sakura was beginning to think that even amputated limbs would not stop Itachi from winning a fight.

The thought was not comforting, and quite distracting, so she shook it away with a short fling of her head.

Right now, she had to stabilize Itachi's heartbeat and get him breathing again.

But, as she ran her glowing green chakra over his chest, she became more convinced that this was not the body of a sick man.

This was the body of a man who had no right to be alive at all. He should have been dead over a year ago. His lungs were so filled with blood and mucus that she could not figure out how any air got in at all. Not to mention they had more or less collapsed under the weight of the fluids.

His heartbeat was stuttering, and he was not breathing. This was a healer's worst nightmare.

Actually, scratch that, because now he was entering the first stage of shock due to extreme chakra exhaustion.

All three conditions usually took top priority, and giving attention to any one of them would neglect the others. He would die either way. Unless…

"Kisame." The sharpness in her voice towards a man she was losing pitifully against a few minutes ago was staggering. Kisame looked up, still holding the piece of his Akatsuki cloak that he had torn off to Itachi's wound. The red clouds looked much darker than they should be.

"Answer me quickly and do everything exactly as I say. Do you know how to do chest compressions?"

"Yes."

"What about first aid for chakra exhaustion?"

"Yes."

"Good. Create three water clones." Kisame did as told. It would have been comical if not for the dying man beneath them.

"Kisame, start the compressions. You (she nodded to a clone), go to his legs and start pushing in your chakra. As much as you can, he needs every drop. You (another clone) take the original's place and apply whatever first aid you can for that stab wound. You (the last clone) create enough water to fill a fifteen inch wide basin."

It was the farthest from ideal. For one, the positioning was terrible. Sakura had to stand straight up on her knees to get the height she needed. After all, Kisame was pressing right over the area she needed to do her work.

The clone treating the stab wound basically had to straddle Itachi, since the two large men (with large being an understatement) could not stay side by side without getting in each other's way. And Sakura needed the side she was on to herself, for obvious reasons.

She glanced at the clone that had a bruising grip on Itachi's ankles. She suppressed a sigh; being so large, as well as an international criminal, it was not surprising he did not know when, or even how to be gentle.

Well, as long as the chakra got in – Sakura wished it was that easy.

Pushing foreign chakra into someone, even gently, always carried the risk of rejection, sometimes to the point where the body went into shock. Shock on even the tiniest scale, like the jolt one feels from missing a stair, would kill Itachi right now.

Kisame's clone was like a waterfall trying to pour all of its water into an empty wine glass.

"You by the ankles, calm down." It looked up at her; Sakura suppressed a flinch. "You're being too rough. Let Itachi's chakra network pull from yours. Don't force your own chakra in."

The clone nodded and eased up its grip a little.

_He's worried._ Sakura did _**not**_ entertain that thought. The dichotomy between 'cold-blooded killer' and 'human' was too complex for her to deal with.

She took water from another clone, shaping it into an orb and sticking it to her palm with chakra. Ideally, the water would be deionized and natural, not the product of a jutsu and thus filled with chakra, but it was the only option she had.

It was just like Kankuro. Had that really only been a few months ago? Somehow, it seemed longer than that.

But whether months or years, she had gotten better. She could do it now through clothes, and even through the skin, muscle and bone of two living hands.

"Kisame. Don't stop."

And with unhesitating force, she plunged the orb through Kisame's hands and into Itachi's lungs.

The giant shuddered. Sakura did not, she simply moved her other hand to the spot under Itachi's diaphragm and pulled.

Kisame's chakra did not fight hers; she was both impressed and grateful for his control, as she pulled more and more of Itachi's blood and mucus from his lungs.

It was shocking and disgusting. Whereas Kankuro had small flecks of poison floating around his orbs when she pulled them out, Itachi's was filled with blood, as though she had not used any water at all.

She pulled the blood orb out; it jiggled grotesquely under her palm before becoming still. All four Kisames eyes were on it, probably thinking a repeat of her own thoughts.

_How was he still alive?_

She glanced around. The clone who had supplied the water quickly got the message and provided a scroll, inside of which a metal washbasin was sealed.

Sakura decided that now was not the time to question that. He was an S-ranked missing-nin, she was sure he had his reasons.

She dropped the orb into the washbasin, where it sloshed around like partially set gelatin. Probably due to the mucus.

She ran her hand over Itachi's chest again. And frowned. Then held a hand out to the water supplying clone.

"Another." The clone raised its eyebrows. Sakura lowered hers into a dead serious expression. "Another."

* * *

Five. _**Five**_. The fluid in Itachi's lungs had filled _**five**_ washbasins.

Well, at least Itachi was breathing again.

His body had not rejected Kisame's chakra, but it would still take a while for his own chakra to rebuild and stabilize. He would not be able to use jutsus or techniques for at least a day.

That was very good news for her.

Kisame's complexion had changed from blue to green and he looked quite pale. He quietly sat back while she coaxed Itachi's heart to its normal, independent beat. Once in a while, he would glance at the washbasins. A strange shudder would shake his body, he would look away and his face would become a half-shade paler.

Sakura just could not believe it. But she did revise her previous diagnosis. The man should have been dead a year before Sasuke left Konoha.

He was THE Itachi Uchiha; that she understood. But there should be a limit to what willpower could do, dammit!

Then she reminded herself that one of her best friends was Naruto Uzumaki, and immediately shut up. She had no place to talk.

Instead, she glanced over at the crater. Kiba had finished wrapping and sealing Danzō's body for transport, and now stood on level ground, watching the process with simple fascination and a bit of wariness. Akamaru sat by Samehada, the sword lying docile save for the occasional rattling growls that were more sighs than anything.

Sakura had a distinct feeling that the sword was bored, but that led to too many questions like 'how is it possible for a sword to feel emotion' and right now, she really just wanted to finish up, hand Itachi over to her team and take a week-long nap.

"He didn't do that." Sakura glanced up at Kisame, who in turn jerked his head to the wrapped-up Danzō. "Itachi-san didn't kill him on purpose."

"Don't." Her voice was as sharp as a scalpel, even though her hands glowed so gently. "He's a missing-nin. A murderer."

"True. But he's not like me. He does not enjoy fighting, or killing. He's a strange one. He's one of the strongest I've seen, yet he almost runs away from fights – doesn't engage unless he has to. He would fight a year's worth of battles using genjutsu alone. And if the genjutsu does not work, he'd make it quick." Kisame looked around the ruined fortress. "It's quite rare that I'll seen him get so… physical."

He shook his head, as though trying to rid it of unpleasant memories. "Anyway, if it turned out like this, I'd bet my own Samehada that your guy instigated it." He fixed Sakura with a hard look. "He came here looking to kill Itachi-san all along. I knew it when I saw his eyes…"

Sakura could already hear the unspoken sentence. One that made her blood run cold while ironically giving him credibility.

_I've fought and killed enough times to know that look in the eye._

"That look," Kisame was speaking. Sakura made sure to pay attention. Even though he had helped her, she did not forget who – _**what**_ – he was. "That _**scent**_. It was bloodlust, no matter how diplomatic he tried to act."

Sakura swallowed. This man…she could not feel any kind of deception coming from him. Akatsuki and deceit had always gone together in her mind but…none of its members had actually ever lied to her. Not Sasori, though he had cursed her, poisoned her, stabbed her and overall tried to slaughter her.

And not Kisame. He had no reason to lie. After all, why should he care what she thought had happened? He himself admitted to being a murderer. He had… been honest.

"If you knew what Danzo was planning, why didn't you stop him?"

Kisame gave her a wide-eyed look that made her feel stupid. "I thought Itachi-san could handle it. I underestimated the geezer."

Sakura thinned her lips. She supposed there was no harm in it now. "We knew Itachi was sick. All of us."

She felt bad somehow. Even when justified, even when done against international criminals, taking advantage of someone's illness was a _**nasty**_ way to fight.

"Danzō, the geezer, he used wind techniques. With all this dust on Itachi's face – I imagine he used dust to aggravate his condition."

"I see. I would've done the same in your position." A muscle was working in his jaw. Sakura knew he was upset, making his smile all the more terrifying. "Serves him right," he shrugged. His large shoulders and the violent rigidity in them ruined the gesture's nonchalance.

"Itachi-san always scolded me about respecting my elders. That's how I know your guy forced his own death out of him."

Sakura remembered falling into that warm, dark world of illusions; and waking up to a cold voice by her ear, threatening her to silence.

_**No**_! She couldn't think that way. Danzō was Leaf, Itachi was a _**traitor**_. But, if Kisame was right and Danzō had truly planned to kill Itachi all along, then Danzō betrayed both them and the village.

She shook her head. Itachi had killed his entire clan; he had slaughtered his own family, _**Sasuke's**_ family. There was no such thing as self-defence for the likes of him. He was a villain who belonged chained up in hell.

"Why are you telling me this?" she said, her voice as cold as the blood in the washbasins. "Why do you care what I think about Itachi?"

Kisame blinked. The question had genuinely thrown him and for a while he did not answer. Then he shrugged his oversized shoulders again and said nothing else.

After a few moments, Sakura carefully took her hands away from Itachi's heart, and put her ear to his chest to listen.

For the first time since she came on this mission, she smiled. She looked to Kisame and nodded, he responded with a shark's grin.

"It's about time." And before Sakura could blink, Kiba had been kicked clear across the room, where he smashed into the remnants of what had once been a plain throne. Akamaru snarled and lunged at the assailant to avenge his partner, but was sent to join him instead.

It was the mask-wearing freak. Though his voice was different; deep, hard and cold. And with a subtle arrogance in each word that made her skin crawl.

Sakura tried to stand, but her world spun and she collapsed to her knees, panting.

Chakra exhaustion. Figured. Come directly from a fight where almost half her chakra was literally _**eaten**_, she had performed five patients' worth of healing on just one, and still, the fix would not be permanent.

Itachi would get just as bad again, maybe even faster than it had been the last time. He needed proper treatment and…

Why was she thinking like this? He was Itachi Uchiha, member of Akatsuki, reason for Sasuke's torment and desertion. She should hate him, not think of treating him. He only needed to be alive long enough for them to get Sasuke back.

She shook her head again and gritted her teeth; cold steel filled her hands as Tobi swore and kicked the bandaged corpse.

"Old bastard," he snarled. "He destroyed the eye." He sighed, deflecting the kunais thrown with razor precision at his head with a flick of his wrist. His head was tilted; he was thinking.

Undeterred, Sakura threw more, this time with explosive tags attached. "I should've killed him back then and taken it when I had the chance," the mask muttered, this time just letting the knives pass right through his head and fly out of the bunker to detonate harmlessly in the sky and forest below.

When she had thrown her last kunai, Sakura swore and slumped over Itachi, panting too heavily for her liking.

"But the Third and a few clan heads were lurking around…I made the right decision. It can't be helped," Tobi sighed, abruptly ending his private debate.

_What is he talking about?_ Sakura struggled to breathe, to _**think**_. She needed to think. _The Third? Clan heads? Wait…he had met Danzō before?_

Tobi looked at Sakura, and even though his face was covered, she knew his expression was bland. He was only seeing a brief annoyance that needed to be dealt with; she did not even weigh as much as a small stepping stone in his eyes.

"Fine, you can keep him then," he pointed to Danzō, speaking as though Sakura had not just tried to pierce his skull with a small armoury's worth of steel. "I'll just take Itachi and –"

"Itachi's mine!" And, desperately fighting the heaviness in her limbs, she hunkered down over his body, snarling like a mother bear over her cubs. "He's my key to Sasuke-kun! I won't let you have him!"

The mask sighed and turned to Kisame, who had gone so pale he almost looked normal.

"Tobi? I thought you were…"

"Go get your sword. We'll talk later, Kisame." The Kiri-nin's eyes widened; apparently his new voice threw him as much as it had done Sakura. He did go retrieve Samehada though, more out of not feeling whole without it than anything else.

Tobi stepped forward; Sakura watched him approach, her eyes fierce.

"Move."

"No."

Tobi kicked her in the face. She spat out blood and held her ground.

Something inside the single hole in his mask flashed crimson at her for a brief moment.

_What was that?_

He raised his foot again. Her muscles tried to tense, to strike out, but her chakra streams were a trickle, and instead of a punch her arms just spasmed and shook; boneless. Her left arm _**hurt**_. Droplets of blood and an unpleasant clear liquid oozed from the slowly opening laceration.

_Damned Samehada. _

If she had not been trained by one of the Sannin, she would have been unconscious a long time ago.

"We made a deal." The desperation in her voice disgusted her, and Tobi's grunt of pure derision shamed her because she knew she _**deserved**_ it. There was nothing she could do to stop him, and they both knew it. "In exchange for healing him, I get to –"

"You made that deal with Kisame, not me," he raised his foot higher, preparing to shatter her jaw this time. "And I … I …" Tobi froze, staring straight ahead at something behind her. She looked straight up into the hole of his mask. Familiar scarlet glinted back at her.

_That can't…_

Tobi _**snarled**_, kicked Sakura hard enough to send her rolling away, and plunged a kunai into Itachi's chest.

The corpse, with its finger pointing subtly at Tobi's ankles, dissolved into a murder of crows.

"Genjutsu. Itachi, you –!" Tobi turned, Sakura raised her head, and there Itachi stood, next to Kisame, panting as he partially leaned against him.

_He's still full of Kisame's chakra! He has almost none of his own_! Sakura's brain screamed furiously, while her heart trembled in surrender. She too had been under genjutsu – he had touched her and she hadn't even…

_He shouldn't be able to __**do**__ that_!

Itachi, after regaining some breath, opened his eyes. Eye. His left eye remained closed. There was none of the tension that should have accompanied the conscious effort of keeping it closed.

Instead it was the reverse. It looked like Itachi could not open that eye even if he tried.

Sakura weakly catalogued all of this. Observing was the only thing she could do now, the only way she could be useful.

"Get us out of here," he ground out. Kisame had no clue what was going on, but grabbed Itachi's arm none-the-less.

"Itachi," the mask said with the kind of obscene calmness only a mass murderer could produce. "I will find you. And I will kill you."

And then, in the most surreal moment Sakura had ever had awake, Itachi smirked and nodded to Danzō's corpse.

"Go ahead. He already tried."

Then they disappeared in a Shunshin, not even leaving a puff of smoke. A tear rolled down Sakura's face. Her body felt too heavy to move.

"They won't get far," the mask muttered, walking over to the washbasins filled with Itachi's blood. "It won't do to leave these here." And in a manipulation of reality, the washbasins twisted into the single hole in Tobi's mask, spilling not a drop of blood.

"Now then… I could dispose of you…" Sakura stiffened. "But it would be pointless. I've got some wayward members to catch anyway. And an old cat I need to see. So, later."

And then he disappeared in the same manner as the washbasins, his entire body swirling into the mask until that too was gone.

Sakura lay there, trembling with anger and frustration. She heard Kiba moving, and swearing, and knew he would be all right. One good thing at least.

Struggling, she pushed herself to her knees. Her chakra was still pitifully low and her head spun because of it. Her limbs felt as though she had strapped a pair of Lee's leg weights to each of them. They trembled with the simple effort of sitting on her knees; she longed to slump back onto the cold, hard and incredibly dusty floor.

'_That's strange…'_ A dreamy voice in her head spoke. _'All this dust on the floor, and none in the air. If it was this much…it couldn't have all settled.'_ She thought back to the battle. There had been a part where she had seen whole trees flying through the air and disappearing into the fortress. She looked around while removing one of her gloves. She slowly brought her ungloved hand up to her face. There were no uprooted trees around. _'Must be where all the dust went…'_

SLAP!

The sound of Sakura's naked palm hitting her own face resounded through the ruined battleground. Kiba stopped swearing for a moment and stared at her.

She took no notice, only shook her head briskly. Ah. That was much better. She no longer felt like she was slipping into a dream. Her head was clear.

And there was something nibbling at her ankles.

She ignored it. She would have to tell Naruto that she had failed. And after she had left that note promising they would succeed. That she would actually _**do**_ something for once and bring Sasuke home.

She was ashamed. He was right there, right under her, and she let him get away. How could she even face –?

Okay, that was annoying. The something that nipped at her ankles had turned into a dozen somethings.

She looked; then groaned as her head spun from turning around too fast. Black…mice? Made of ink.

_Sai_.

Her mouth bent in a small frown. Under Danzō's cold eye and even colder frown, Sai had…reverted to what he was when they first met him.

Not completely. Sakura would not let him; when she was not trying (and failing) to control the amount of killing intent that oozed out of her at the mere sight of Danzō, she would talk to Sai, or give him some friendly grief whenever she saw his pale face becoming too still, or his eyes too blank.

Sai would respond to her with a fake-looking-but-real smile, or blink when he did not understand her jokes. The toneless interpretations he gave to some of the things she said ended up being funnier than the joke itself anyway.

Sakura smiled.

She was depressed, but would not ignore a message from her (_**true**_) comrade. She pulled an empty scroll from her pouch, unfurled it, and watched as one of the mice (they were a little low quality for Sai's usual standard) walked up to it and melted into words on the paper.

With a sigh and an unheard apology to her dear friend back in Konoha, she began to read.

* * *

Jiraiya, Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, encountered very few things in his life that shocked him when it came to the people he cared about.

Orochimaru's betrayal had saddened and angered him, but he had seen it coming. He had only hoped, desperately hoped to the point of foolishness that he was wrong.

He wasn't.

Tsunade growing to a bust size as legendary as her medical abilities had surprised and greatly delighted him.

And even now, whenever he showed her just how much this fact delighted him, he always woke up either on the floor with green chakra flowing over his head, or in a hospital bed.

The last time he had been shocked like this… Jiraiya thought hard… ah, yes. It was in a country forsaken by the sun but loved, even smothered, by the rain. With thunder and lightning taming the skies, the waterlogged but distinct scent of freshly spilled blood in his nostrils and his ears filled (despite the rain) with the small, shivering breaths of dying adrenaline and speechless horror; the greatest shock of his life had come when he had first seen Nagato's Rinnegan.

What he stared at in front of him, what he had _**been**_ staring at for the past fifteen minutes, almost matched that kind of shock. Almost. It was not quite there, but very, _**very**_ close.

"So, that's everything?" he said in a flat voice that betrayed nothing as he sat cross-legged in front of his student, his elbow resting on his knee, his chin propped in his hand, his head tilted and his eyebrow raised.

Naruto nodded. Sasuke blinked slowly, his head tilting into Naruto's stomach.

The kitten – child? – Uchiha had not said much, if anything at all. Probably because being gently rocked in someone's arms while they spoke in low, calm tones was indescribably soothing. Jiraiya had forgotten what that sensation felt like long before he had grown old enough to recognise how wonderful it must have been.

The fact that Naruto could talk in tones like that only compounded the paralysing shock he was already feeling.

He did not shake his head; that would give him away.

"Ero-sennin, are you okay?"

Huh? How? He hadn't said or done anything that could have…

"You've been staring at Sasuke without blinking for the past fifteen minutes," Naruto said, worried but slightly impressed.

Oh. That was why his eyes were burning then.

"I'm just thinking, Naruto. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, okay." Naruto leaned back a little as he continued to rock the baby kitten.

It had taken a shameless guilt trip to get his student to sit down and tell him what was going on.

Kakashi and Sakura. Two other trump cards that helped when dealing with an obstinate Naruto.

They were still on the mission field when they did not have to be, because Naruto had selfishly hidden their mission's purpose from the Hokage.

That statement, delivered in so many words, had turned Naruto's spine to iron.

Without hesitation or preamble, Naruto plopped himself in the grass and, still holding Sasuke close to him as though afraid he would be taken away, told his sensei the entire story from the beginning.

Now the Toad Sage sat, absorbing the strange and unbelievable tale in silence.

He finally moved his eyes from the transformed avenger, looking instead to the orange top and mesh shirt that were lying on a large leaf, drying in the sun.

Sasuke's puke had washed off easily, since his diet was only milk and fruit.

The kitten in question was blinking more and more slowly, his cheek pressing against Naruto's stomach as his head lolled.

Naruto couldn't help but smile. He started humming. If he had looked up and seen the size of Jiraiya's eyes just then, he would have stopped, blushed, and had the sudden urge to challenge Gamabunta to a fight.

Sasuke gave up. His eyes closed, his face smoothed and he fell into peaceful sleep. Naruto stared at him a moment.

Then sighed in relief.

"Much better," he said to no one. A tick developed over Jiraiya's eye at being ignored. But, looking at the scene, he felt he could understand a little of why Naruto had kept this… development a secret.

This understanding could not be explained with words. It was just a flitting thought, a ripple of emotion formless and without language to describe it.

When he saw Naruto cradling Sasuke so gently, Jiraiya felt that he would hurt anyone who got in the middle of that.

Whatever 'that' was.

And Naruto… when was the last time he had smiled like that, as though he truly had no more worries in the world?

Sasuke was home. What else did he need?

Jiraiya paused. This time, he did shake his head. The world was still moving. And despite Naruto's smile, there were still plenty of worries.

He brought his hands up in a familiar seal.

"Tell Tsunade everything." With that simple command, the Shadow Clone was Reverse Summoned back to Konoha in a puff of smoke. The original Sage turned back to Naruto, who was looking around at the mountain's plant life with growing wonder in his eyes.

"Hey, Ero-sennin."

_If he asks what I think he's going to ask, I swear I'm going to –_

"Where are we?"

Jiraiya's entire expression grew flat, with all the abruptness of a fallen brick.

What was the point?

The roaring energy, the flawless choreography, the all of five seconds of thought before his grand speech flowed from his lips.

The boy remembered none of it.

Really. That was just rude.

"Mount Myōboku," Jiraiya supplied, his voice the same as his flat-browed expression.

"Oh." Naruto looked around again, and finally spotted the two toads who were playing cards a few yards away.

"Gamakichi, Gamatatsu, what're you guys doing here?" he smiled and waved, and was greeted with the same fallen-brick expression as Jiraiya's.

"Oh, nothing much," Gamakichi answered in flawless deadpan. "Just hanging around."

"Here?" Naruto looked around a third time, as though expecting some secret door to open up somewhere.

"Yeah. It's our home after all."

Naruto's eyes grew wide, the blue colour sparkling. "_**This**_ is your _**home**_?! It's really beautiful!"

"Oh really. That's surprising, considering you were threatening to burn it all to the ground a few minutes ago."

Naruto blinked. Then laughed. "No way Gamakichi. You guys are my friends, I'd never do that. That's way too morbid for a joke, come up with one of your normal ones next time."

He laughed again. The toads, and Jiraiya, stared. Gamakichi turned to the Sage, an obvious 'what the hell?' look on his face.

Jiraiya shrugged in a way that simultaneously said, 'hell if I know' and 'at least he's back to normal.'

Naruto missed the exchange entirely, opting to put Sasuke to lie down in his lap instead. His arms were getting a little tired. The kitten shifted minutely, but soon stilled, softly purring in his sleep.

Naruto smiled and stroked the soft ears a little. He looked up at his white-haired master.

"So, Ero-sennin."

His sensei flinched. If Naruto even…if he dared…

"Why am I here?"

_I'll kill him._

* * *

Jiraiya did not kill him. Even if he could bring himself to do it, there was a buxom blonde back in Konoha who could, and _**would**_ return the favour.

And shinobi though he was, he would not kill in front of a baby. A child, yes, if he had to. Not a baby, even if that baby was asleep.

So he settled for sighing a long, heavy sigh that the wind carried through the mountain's massive leaves, and explained. From the top, and without grandeur or choreography.

"Sage Mode? Is it like Rasengan?" Naruto finally asked, tilting his head and scratching the bandages around his left calf.

Sasuke had probably held on to Naruto for dear life. Those puncture wounds had been deep. Baby or no, that kitten was far stronger than he looked. He had promise.

Jiraiya blinked, rewound and replayed his thoughts, and decided that if he stayed here much longer he would become mentally unsound. Not crazy, but close enough.

"Yes and no. You will get some new abilities, but it's not a new Jutsu. It's more of a … transformation."

"Transformation?" Naruto repeated, looking slightly queasy. For some strange and frighteningly accurate reason, he glanced towards the two toads who had abandoned their game and were listening quietly.

"It's a good thing, Naruto," Jiraiya quickly assured, while inwardly shuddering. How had Naruto known ... there was no way he could have heard about it elsewhere…

Then the answer hit him like a slap in the face. With Sasuke's new 'form', things like animal transformations must have been on his mind.

"You'll be stronger and faster and the power of all of your jutsu will be boosted exponentially. You'll be transformed from a human to a Sage."

Naruto nodded, excitement overtaking his face for a moment. But it mellowed out, replaced by a thoughtful look. Jiraiya was impressed; looked like all that time reading books did something worthwhile.

"Wait. If you wanted me to become a Sage, why give me the key to my seal?"

Jiraiya grinned. _Good question._ "Because it couldn't hurt." Naruto blinked. Unknown to him, his sensei secretly loved that dumb, clueless look he got whenever someone said something he did not even begin to understand.

And he absolutely _**relished**_ being the one saying those things. "Like I said, I have full faith you can learn to control the Kyūbi's chakra. However, I have no idea how it can be done. That's something I cannot teach you.

"The only thing I can do is pass Sage Mode on to you. I don't know how it will help, or if it even _**can**_ help. However, it will make you stronger, and that is always a good thing. I feel that…" Jiraiya shook his head. "Some hard times may be coming your way. And you still have your dream of becoming Hokage. Sage Mode will take you one step closer."

The sparkle slowly returned to Naruto's eyes. He looked determined now. "Cool! Let's start!"

"Oh, right now?" false enthusiasm questioned.

"Yeah!"

Jiraiya frowned. Naruto was confused.

"Remember what I told you before? You can't (he pointed to the sleeping kitten) just move around as you like now, Naruto."

Naruto froze. His eyes lowered and his hand gently brushed back Sasuke's hair. "Y-yeah. Sorry Ero-sennin, I'm an idiot who keeps forgetting that."

At Naruto's self-reprimand, Jiraiya's eyes softened. "You're better than a lot of guys I've seen. Especially for your age."

Naruto looked up, careful hope in his gaze. "You mean that? I mean – the first day, I left him alone, and he got sick and –"

"You made mistakes. No denying that. But Sasuke trusts you. He (Jiraiya chuckled) almost dug through your leg just not to be separated from you. You've done well, Naruto."

'_Better than I ever did'_, silent regret spoke as he stared at the grown young man before him.

"I'm proud of you."

Naruto grinned, making the world a little brighter. Jiraiya did the same.

A moment passed like that. The wind blew, bringing the vibrant scent of mountain flora to Naruto's nostrils. Sasuke turned in his sleep.

Naruto thought a little. Paused. Squinted his eyes, then opened them until they were pure white and perfectly round.

"You knew about Sasuke?" The pure fact simply masked itself as a question.

"Yeah." Jiraiya answered casually, cleaning his ear with his pinky.

"Like before I told you anything?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

The Sage slowly raised an eyebrow at him. "Going to the Uchiha cemetery? Impersonating Ayaya Azumi? Looking for a book on _**kittens**_ in the _**library**_?"

Naruto blinked. He slowly looked to the side, as he did whenever he tried to look innocent. Ironically, the gesture made him look thrice as guilty.

"You have a point," he finally muttered, defeated.

"I have about twelve points. I only have enough patience right now to name three. Honestly, are you even a ninja?"

Naruto looked scandalised. He opened his mouth, no doubt to tell his master just how much he resented that remark, when the man in question stood. His face had gotten a little firmer.

Naruto swallowed. The mood had changed. He kept his eyes on Jiraiya, not noticing the small green frog that was hopping up to him.

"I've really got to get going now."

"To Amegakure?" Jiraiya did not answer. "Akatsuki's leader is really there?" The only response was from the toad brothers, who inhaled sharply at the mention of Akatsuki. "Ero-sennin I –"

"Take care of Sasuke." Naruto froze, his eyes wide. There was something in his gaze that looked like it wanted to fight; whether to fight him to go with him, or fight him to make him stay, Jiraiya did not know which.

"He's not just your best friend now. Now…" Jiraiya knew this would be embarrassing, but it was not the first embarrassing thing he'd ever said. He was sure it would not be the last, "Now, he's yours, right? So you've gotta stick around to take care of him."

"Ero-sennin…" there were no more words. Naruto looked up at Jiraiya's cheesy but so sincere smile and found nothing else to say.

"Care for him. Watch over him so he'd never choose the path of darkness again. Train hard and learn – no, _**master**_ Sage Mode so you can grow strong enough to protect him."

Jiraiya was not over-speaking. Tsunade would still do her tests (she probably already started with the hairs he sent her), but he could tell just by looking.

Sasuke's appearance was no Jutsu. Neither was his age. He'd seen enough age regression Henge (including Tsunade's) that his eyes alone told him it was unlikely, and he had only to touch Sasuke once to confirm it.

Whatever did this to him – turned him into this – it was real, as real as if this had been Sasuke's form from birth. And most likely just as irreversible.

But, he did not have to say any of that. Naruto would find out soon enough.

He clapped a hand on his student's shoulder and gave him a rough smile. There was one more thing he did need to say before he left.

"You hurt Tsunade, you know." Naruto gasped, his eyes huge. He seemed to be in some sort of mild shock.

"She may not show it, but you're precious to her. It hurt her that you didn't trust her enough to come to her about Sasuke. And I was half-ready to kill you for it."

In that last sentence, Naruto heard an emotion that could split a mountain. His heart shook, and not for the first time he was starkly aware of just how _**powerful**_ his master was.

If Jiraiya wanted to _**hurt**_ him then even after three years of training, there was not much Naruto could do.

But with Jiraiya's gentle smile, the pressure lifted.

"When I saw you with that kid, though, I understood why you couldn't take the smallest chance. Danzō…" Naruto stiffened and his eyes dulled.

Jiraiya squeezed his shoulder and brought himself nose to nose with his student.

_In his mind's eye, Jiraiya saw a faint image of the high back of a plain and comfortable chair, a perfect throne for the strongest woman and worst gambler the world has ever seen. A slender hand reached back and replaced a sake bottle on the desk behind it. _

"_Figures he wouldn't trust me," a voice that held back a dry laugh and a lifetime of tears spoke. Jiraiya knew this would just be another pain she would stash away in her breasts, while smiling that fake smile of hers that he __**loathed**__._

_A rough sip, a brief swallow, and the hand reached back for the sake once more. _

"_I'm just an impotent Hokage who couldn't defend him when he needed me most. Even Naruto's not nice enough to forgive that kind of weakness."_

"This is a message from Tsunade. If Danzō tries to take Sasuke from you when he gets back," Jiraiya held up a clenched fist in amazing imitation, "then just like he's always wanted," the fist tightened and a vein throbbed between its knuckles, "his face will be a new, permanent addition to Hokage mountain." Naruto swallowed. Something warm leaped in his stomach.

"Sasuke's _**your**_ mission now. You have nothing to be afraid of, now or ever again."

A wet film shimmered over Naruto's eyes; he quickly brought an arm up and wiped it away before it could become anything more.

"Who told you guys I was afraid?" he laughed as he sniffed.

In the next moment, he was shaking out his sunshine hair and jabbing a proud thumb into his chest.

"I'm the Great Naruto Uzumaki!" he proclaimed, ignorant of the irritated twitch of Sasuke's ears. "Just you watch Ero-sennin! I'll master Sage Mode, control the Kyūbi's chakra, and be the greatest Hokage the world's ever seen – ouch!"

"Quiet, Nawuto…" Sasuke muttered half-asleep, his claws digging a little into Naruto's stomach and his face scrunched up in an adorable frown.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, but he shut up until Sasuke was fully asleep again.

"You little… You've only gotten smaller you little brat you haven't changed one bit!" he whispered in mock anger.

Jiraiya laughed and patted Naruto's shoulder. "There's one thing you left out in that speech."

"Huh?"

"You'll be the best big brother he's ever known." His voice was solid with confidence.

Naruto smiled. If Jiraiya saw something very slightly…off…in that smile, he dismissed it.

His time was up. He couldn't stay here any longer. The small, green frog behind him opened its mouth.

Jiraiya stood, his hand leaving Naruto's shoulder.

_Why does it feel like…_

Naruto stared as Jiraiya stuck his foot inside the frog's mouth. He smiled one last smile at his student before his entire body slipped inside, white mane and all.

…_this is the last time?_

The frog's throat sack expanded to the size of a man. Behind the translucent film, Naruto could see his sensei's dark shape before it disappeared with the frog's great swallow.

His eyes followed the amphibian as, with eerie normality, it hopped up to the pool where he had washed his clothes and disappeared with a splash.

He blinked. That was gross. And awesome. And still better than (he retched a little) swallowing one of the damn things.

But…wait a minute…

Naruto turned slowly to Gamakichi, who blinked at him. "Uh, how do I get back to Konoha?"

* * *

"Well isn't he just tha cutest little thing!"

"Kaa-chan keep yer voice down, you'll wake – uh – whadtcha say his name was again?"

"Sasuke."

"You'll wake Sasuke-chan."

"Keep yer mouth shut, ya old geezer! I've raised more kids than ya can shake a stick at, ya think I wouldn't know how not to wake one up?"

_She has a point._ Sasuke had not stirred, even with the grandma toad yelling less than a yard away from him.

"Put him here, dear."

"Uh…" Naruto set Sasuke to lie in a soft-looking bed of leaves. "I really just want to…"

"Yer 'Kichi-chan's friend right?" the grandpa toad asked, gesturing to the large orange toad who looked both apologetic and amused at Naruto's plight.

"Dinner's almost ready, you boys came at just tha right time."

"Uh, that's real nice grandma, but you see… I really just want to get back home and…"

"Nonsense! Ya can't travel yet."

"What d'you mean?"

"Walkin'll take ya'at least a month. You'd have to use the Enshinsui portal. Tha little one will drown if he goes through that sleepin'."

"O-oh," Naruto swallowed a lump of ice in his throat. "I get it."

The grandpa toad folded his arms and nodded, while the grandma toad stirred something that was an even darker purple than her hair, and _**slimy**_ in a pot. Part of that something wriggled out, or tried to, before she wacked it back in with a swipe of her spoon.

_Sasuke, hurry and wake up already._

"By the way, I didn't get your names."

"Fukasaku," said the green grandpa toad, still studying Naruto. "Shima," the purple grandma toad called from the kitchen, giving another wriggly something another whack.

"Ya can just call us grandpa and grandma, like you've been doin'," said Fukasaku warmly. Naruto nodded, more comfortable with that option anyway. He shifted on the floor of the small (for a human) room and took a sip of tea; it tasted normal enough after all. "So, you're Jiraiya-chan's kid."

Naruto choked on his tea. Jiraiya…_**chan**_?

"Uh, yeah," he coughed. "How'd you know?"

"I'm tha one who trained that boy in the Sage Arts," the toad proudly explained. "He came here earlier and told me about'cha. That he wants you to learn it too."

"Really? So you're going to train me?"

For a moment, the toad looked surprised. "I could. But why not wait for Jiraiya-chan to come back from his mission?"

There was that strange feeling again. The same one he had felt when he saw his master's last smile. A kind of heaviness, similar to the despair Danzō's genjutsu had given him, but not as severe.

Not similar either… more of a…

Naruto thought hard. He had seen it in those books, the thing that sometimes came before the real stuff.

Introduction. That was the word. What he had felt when he saw Jiraiya leave, the ripples that he was feeling now, both were introductions to the real feeling. To despair.

Naruto shook his head. Since when did he think like this? 'Introduction to despair'. Sounded like a chapter title out of Ero-sennin's books. No wonder they didn't sell.

His mockery did nothing to shake the feeling. So he ignored it. It would go away when Jiraiya came back anyway.

"I'll wait for Ero-sennin (Fukasaku smirked at the name) but could you show me what it looks like grandpa?"

"What it looks like?" the elder repeated, bemused.

"Ero-sennin said it was a transformation."

"Huh?!" The toad laughed an odd, croaking laugh that made Naruto think of summer for some reason. "Well, well, the way Jiraiya-chan uses it, I guess that's a fair description." He hopped off his cushion and over the table, turning back to Naruto with a grin and a few chuckles. "Come outside kid, I'll show you a little of this _**transformation**_."

Naruto heard his laughter all the way down the stairs. He shrugged, glanced at Sasuke, smiled when he saw Shima shooing him out the door and left. Sasuke was in good hands.

He arrived at the last stair to find Fukasaku sitting perfectly still with his knuckles pressed together. Gamakichi, who had followed him, made a silent motion for him to wait. Naruto lowered the finger that had been about to poke the elder and waited.

"All right," Fukasaku breathed, rising from his seat. Naruto squinted as hard as he could and saw that the toad…looked no different from normal.

"I would start with strength, but there's nothin' here to toss but tha' wife's lawn gnomes." Naruto looked at one of the squat stone toads sculpted with closed-but-smiling eyes and a contented expression.

"How about showing him some Frog Kata?" Gamakichi suggested, looking like he would've enjoyed some gnomes being tossed.

"Yeah, that could work. Okay Naruto-chan (Naruto held back a wince at the honorific – no one had called him 'chan' even as a kid) stand right here. Now, I'm gonna punch ya. Not hard, just a little tap."

Naruto had the wisdom not to say that a 'little tap' was all he would expect from the diminutively statured Elder.

Fukasaku leaped and aimed a pitifully gentle punch at Naruto's stomach. He missed deliberately, side-swiping at the last moment, his fist sweeping past Naruto's waist.

Less than second later Naruto doubled over and staggered back a few feet. He felt like he had been socked in the gut by an iron fist. If that had been full strength, he'd have a hole where he only now had a dent.

Little tap his –

"Sorry 'bout that Naruto-chan! I held back as much as I could but it wasn't enough. Ya'all right?"

"Wh-what hit me?" Naruto wheezed.

"Frog Kata. It's basically Sage Mode taijutsu. When you're in Sage Mode, natural energy surrounds your whole body like an extra suit of clothes. You can use that energy to hit yer opponent. So your punch always connects, even if your physical fist misses."

"Uh… huh…"

"It's like having an extra fist attached to your arm that can always land a hit when your normal fist misses," Gamakichi supplied.

"_**Oh**_!"

Fukasaku blinked, a somewhat grotesque image coming to mind at Gamakichi's analogy. Well, whatever worked he guessed.

"So how'd you get that extra fist grandpa?"

"Oh…well…uh…" that dumb explanation only made things worse for him. Now Naruto had it in his head that natural energy was a fist. How was he supposed to explain that there were fists all over his body? "Well… wha –"

"WAAAAAAH!" Naruto froze and stood upright, pain in his gut forgotten as his head whipped towards the tower where the Elders lived.

Less than a second later he shot off in the direction of the stairs, unconsciously using chakra to gain speed as a wailing cry of "Nawuto! _**Nawuto**_!" reached the gardens.

Less than five seconds later, Sasuke was in his arms.

"N-Nawuto – I – I…" he hiccupped and cried, and was soon choking on his tears. Naruto put him on his shoulder and patted his back. He was moving automatically, mimicking what he had seen mothers do with fussy babies in the market.

Sasuke soon calmed down, his cries dwindling to sniffles and the occasional hiccup.

"What happened?" he asked the grandma, who looked somewhat impressed.

"He started wakin' up so I brought some soup for him. He took one look at me and started cryin'." Almost as soon as she finished her explanation, she whipped round to grandpa, who stiffened, his mouth frozen in a quarter of a smile. "Don't. You. _**Dare**_."

The smile-that-almost-was vanished.

"He probably got scared because I was a stranger."

Naruto doubted it. Sasuke was crying too hard for it to be that alone. Shima saw the look on his face and hesitated.

Then her purple lips firmed. "When I was giving him tha soup…he called me Kaa-san."

Naruto froze. Sasuke's claws dug into his jacket.

"We're going outside," he said shortly. Shima looked to follow him, but stopped in her tracks. Fukasaku stiffened.

Naruto left. If he had looked back, he would have seen the two Elders look at each other, shudder simultaneously, and hear the whispered 'Jiraiya-chan' between them.

He would have then questioned the high-collared cloaks they chose to don. They would have responded that the two Elder Sages of Mount Myōboku could not enter a battle scrappily dressed.

It simply would not do.

Naruto picked the perfect spot. It was still within view of the Elders' tower. A sparkling stream flowed at his feet. He sat at the base of a particularly large… tree? … enjoying the shade that the awning-sized leaf gave to him.

"Sasuke." He did not say it too gently. Sasuke's claws rolled in the fabric of his jacket, as the kitten clenched and unclenched his hands. "What happened?"

"I… had a dream about my parents. And Nii-chan. They were alive. We were having dinner…"

"Go on."

"I woke up. And smelled food. It smelled j-just like Kaa-san used to…" For a moment, Naruto thought Sasuke was going to start crying again. The kitten took a big, trembling gulp of air, willing himself to hold it in. "It wasn't Kaa-san." It was all he managed before the dam broke and Naruto felt a wet spot growing on his shoulder.

He closed his eyes and took a breath.

"Stop crying, Sasuke."

The kitten choked. His body was hot from crying, and stiffened as Naruto pulled him from his shoulder. Sky blue met puffy black.

"What do you wanna be, Sasuke?" A shining smile. For a moment, Sasuke was blinded. "Well?" Naruto shook him a little.

"A ninja," Sasuke was dazed. Where had all this light come from, all of a sudden?

"Thought so." The smile got bigger. "Ninja aren't supposed to cry so much, ya know."

Sasuke's face crumpled a little. The light dimmed. "I can't stop. My family's gone, and I'm all alone."

"Cut that out, Sasuke. That's mean." Sasuke gasped. Naruto was… pouting? "What am I then?"

"My friend."

"That's right. And I'm even closer than that."

"My… best friend?"

Naruto was beaming. "Closer than that. I'm your _**brother**_, Sasuke. I'm your family."

The light was back. It was glowing, getting brighter…

"Family?" Sasuke repeated, afraid to believe it. "You're my family, Nawuto?"

"Yup! I'll always be by your side. So stop saying you're alone. I'm here. I'll never leave you alone."

A moment as bright as the sun.

His was the biggest, brightest, dumbest grin Sasuke had ever seen; so different from the monochrome straight faces of his clan.

He was mesmerised.

He had never thought to ask for it, it was too good a thing to just _**ask**_ for.

But Naruto was offering it freely; his sun-bright smile burst and overflowed with these things too precious to request.

Light. Warmth. _**Family**_. And it was all for him.

How could he help reaching out to it, grabbing it all, consuming it all, like a starved and helpless child?

How could he help being so, so _**grateful**_ for it?

"Thank…you," the tears spilled. Sasuke, if he had a mountain's strength, would not be able to hold them back. "Thank you… thank you, thank you thank you thank you_**thank you**_ _**Nawuto**_!"

"Oi, oi. What'd we say about crying?"

"Th-this is – the last time – p-promise," Sasuke hiccupped. Held in Naruto's grip, his knees curled up to his stomach and his ears drooped as he wiped fervently at his eyes. "B-but – I c-can't…"

"I know," Naruto pulled Sasuke to his chest in a hug, "I can't stop either." He stroked Sasuke's ears, once again feeling a wet spot grow on his clothes.

The same wetness ran unimpeded over a pure smile. The somewhat sad, somewhat relieved and overall joyous smile that spoke of the accomplishment of a great life goal.

_Finally. I finally got you to acknowledge me, Sasuke._

"Y'know, Sasuke, it's okay to cry sometimes. When things are really sad, or when you're really happy, you can cry. But…"

Sasuke looked up at him, his eyes meeting a pair of shimmering blues.

"But if you cry too much, you can't live. And I know from my deepest gut (he put a fist to his heart) that your family wants you to live."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and before he could rein it in a grin as big and stupid as Naruto's lit up his face.

_Nii-chan_, he thought, as he squeaked out a teary 'Un!' and threw himself into Naruto's chest, hugging him as tightly as he could.

_He's too big and too loud but…would it be okay…?_

Sasuke could feel himself falling asleep. After hearing Naruto's words, he felt so calm, so _**relieved**_. The sleep that called him wasn't dark and dreary anymore. For the first time since he saw them, he could look away from his family's tombstones.

'_Your family wants you to live.'_

_Is it okay, Nii-chan…?_

Sasuke closed his eyes.

_If Naruto becomes my Nii-chan too?_

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes wearily. He was on the verge of falling asleep again.

When had he fallen asleep the first time?

He could not remember. He did not even know how long he had been sleeping.

That made sense. After all, he did not remember the last time he had slept. Two nights ago, he had stayed up taking care of a sick Sasuke and cleaning up his mess. He had only caught one, maybe two hours of sleep before Sasuke was tugging on his hair to wake him.

Last night, he had held Sasuke as the kitten mourned his clan's death. Naruto did not even think of sleeping then.

As a ninja, this really should not have bothered him. He was fine staying up on missions, and had gone longer without sleep. One or two hours of shuteye should have been plenty for him.

But the past two days were not missions. He was in the village. His brain and body knew he was in the village. So he could not sum up the willpower or stamina to go without sleep, as he would out in the field.

It was weird, but it was how he worked. And he knew he was not the only one.

So he had about two nights' worth of sleep to catch up on. And so, Naruto realised, did Sasuke. After all, illness was exhausting, especially to a baby. Mourning the death of an entire clan…

If Naruto had a bit more hubris, he would have been able to (truthfully) admit that, were it not for his presence, for the comfort he offered, Sasuke's fits of grief would have killed something very important inside him.

He certainly would have never been able to smile like he had a while ago.

Naruto turned his head, more a lolling really, as he let its weight dictate its movement.

They were still in Mount Myōboku, under the same tree. It was still daylight. He shifted his arms. Yup, Sasuke was still there, snore-purring away on his chest.

Out of habit now than anything else, he stroked one of the soft ears. Sasuke purred deeply and snuggled up closer to him.

Naruto smiled. He couldn't see Gamakichi or Gamatatsu anywhere, but he did not expect them to be standing by watching them sleep anyway. That would have been creepy.

His eyes slid closed. Everything was fine. They would go back to Konoha later and face Baa-chan then. But they were too tired now. They finally had a chance to sleep, and in a paradise to boot.

Everything else could wait.

Naruto's head tilted, and he slept.

Less than a minute later, something exploded in the distance, its shockwaves shaking the ground under him.

Naruto woke up. Sasuke grumbled. Naruto did not check to see if he was awake. He only stood, staring at the cloud of dirt and dust that rose into the mountain's spotless air.

Something big and heavy had smashed, rather brutally, into the ground. Naruto stared, shook his head, and ran for the Elder's tower. He would leave Sasuke with grandma toad and go see what…

**Poof!**

Naruto stared at the white smoke spreading out of the tower windows. It looked like…

"Ero…sennin?" Naruto whispered. He summoned the Elders? Why?

His stomach clenched slightly, remembering that punch.

They were strong. As strong as Ero-sennin. Maybe even stronger. But during the three years they travelled together, Jiraiya had never summoned them. Even in their most dire situations.

'_I've got a lead on the location of the leader of Akatsuki. I'm headed over there right now.'_

"Ero-sennin." Naruto was shaking. That 'introduction to despair' feeling was growing, becoming closer and closer to the real thing.

He shot off, abandoning the now empty tower and sprinting for the place where smoke still rose. Later, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gamakichi and Gamatatsu join him, along with a small blue frog that looked eerily similar to the one that left with Jiraiya.

Sasuke opened his eyes.

Naruto did not notice.

The trees parted, and in the field ahead of him, on top of a large circle that had been cleared of grass, he saw a massive body the size of Gamabunta. It was not him. He was a completely different colour, and did not have any warts. His weapons were different too. They lay at his sides, clattered to the ground as their wielder's fingers grew too weak to hold them: a saucer-shaped shield that reminded him of one of Baa-chan's sake cups, and a massive sasumata.

"Ken-jisan!" Gamakichi yelled. Yellow eyes opened blearily. A loud, echoing groan from huge lungs told them the toad was alive.

But he was _**beaten**_. There were vicious, ragged puncture wounds – bite marks – on seemingly every part of his body. And each wound was bleeding profusely.

Before Naruto could do anything, or even think of what to do, a flurry of white hopped past him. Toads. Dozens of them. All dressed in white robes with the symbol for 'doctor' on their backs. It was like Konoha's but without the circle.

They billowed forth like the white snow clouds of an avalanche, and soon the warrior's body was covered with them. Spots of glowing green chakra lit up his wounds like fireflies.

"Wow," was all Naruto could say.

"Fast as always," Gamakichi smirked, though it seemed wilder somehow. "They can smell blood from anywhere on this mountain." His teeth gritted and he looked to his uncle, who was blinking slowly, trying not to fall unconscious.

"I'm gonna go talk to jisan." It was neither an invitation nor a prohibition. Naruto would not have cared which one it was anyway. He followed Gamakichi.

"What happened?" the nephew demanded. 'Ken' turned his head. He blinked.

"Kichi-chan." He glanced at Naruto. A question sparked in his eyes, but before he could speak, Gamakichi stepped forward.

"What. Happened."

The toad's face crumpled into a grimace of pain. The blanket of white toads shifted as one, and Ken's face smoothed out as the pain eased. Naruto was impressed, but more than that, he wanted answers.

So did Sasuke, who remained completely silent and still. He knew if he did not, Naruto would leave him somewhere like he tried to do before.

"Nothin'," the toad finally answered. "I was just clumsy."

The cryptic answer irritated toad and human both. "Jisan –!"

"I was clumsy," Gamaken insisted. "I couldn't help him against that guy. I could only stall for time."

"What guy?"

"The guy with the purple eyes. I couldn't even beat one of his summons."

"_**Another summon**_ did this to you?!" Gamakichi could not believe it. If this guy was anything like Gamabunta, neither could Naruto.

"It wasn't normal. It had purple eyes too, and it kept multiplying itself. I couldn't do anything. Jiraiya was the one who got rid of it in the end. I took out another one. But the guy was still too strong. Jiraiya sent me back because I'm too clumsy."

"He sent you back cuz you woulda died!" Gamakichi cried. "Look at yourself Jisan! You're bleeding all over the place!"

"Because I'm –"

"Stop! Stop saying that!"

There were tears in Gamakichi's eyes. Gamatatsu, who had been crying silently during the exchange, looked at his older brother in shock.

Gamaken opened his mouth. A pale pink tongue slithered out and patted both toads on the head.

"Because I'm clumsy," he stubbornly finished. "But I won't die. So don't cry."

"Wh-who's crying?!" Gamakichi just as stubbornly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

In Naruto's arms, Sasuke quietly realised that these toads were family. Just like him and Nii-chan and Naruto.

Was this Jiraiya person family too? Gamaken talked like he was. And Naruto was shaking. He started shaking when he heard Jiraiya's name. Sasuke vaguely remembered a big, white-haired man staring at him. He remembered how Naruto had talked to him – how comfortable he seemed.

His resolve hardened.

"Ken." Naruto spoke, looking the toad in the eye. "Did Ero-sennin summon the Elders?"

Gamaken stared at the recklessness in his eyes before carefully responding. "Yeah. They'll win. The Elders aren't clumsy."

Naruto did not budge. His eyes only lowered slightly. Then shifted from left to right. Gamaken followed the movement.

"If you go, you'll die. You're clumsier than me."

Naruto's eyes hardened, but did not stop moving until they alighted on something. He did not speak, just moved. A tongue as hard as steel cable flew after him and wrapped around his legs. He crashed to the ground, turning on his side to avoid squashing Sasuke. Instead he landed hard on his arm and winced at the pain that shot through the limb.

A fracture. Great.

He was inches away from the blue frog, who stared at him in as close a look to shock as a frog could get.

"I said no." Gamaken spoke calmly, and surprisingly easily considering his tongue was sticking out of his mouth by about three meters.

"Please," Naruto begged. "I have to get to Ero-sennin." The introduction was finishing up, reaching the last few paragraphs. The real despair was coming up faster than Naruto wanted.

No. He did not want it to come at all.

"Naruto, didn't you hear what Ken-jisan said?" Gamakichi hopped up to him and patted his shoulder. "The _**Elders**_ are going. Teamed up with Jiraiya, they'll win. No other way it could go."

Naruto swallowed. Something was _**wrong**_ but he could not place it.

"They'll beat this guy and his summons," Gamakichi further encouraged. "Even with their freaky purple eyes!"

_Purple…eyes_?

Naruto's brain was _**stretching**_, desperately trying to remember something. A book. One of the books he had read that day. A book on myths.

He had been looking for cat myths – maybe Sasuke had encountered one, or had gotten on one's bad side – but had stopped on a picture of purple eyes.

His mind stretched to its limits. What had that book said? There was not a lot of detail, Naruto remembered that. But what _**had**_ been there? What…?

Words bubbled up, like gas escaping from the depths of a lake. Naruto desperately grabbed any words he could.

'Sharingan'. The Sharingan was said to be descended from these eyes.

'Defect'. Recent studies have proved that the rippling in these eyes was not a symbol of 'god-like' power, but the result of a genetic defect.

'Exist'. … do not exist and probably never have. In the same way that children believe in dragons, these eyes are legend for Shinobi, overly powerful and exceedingly perfect but ultimately unattainable.

Wait. _**What**_ don't exist? A name… a name… Naruto spotted it and plucked it from the waters of memory before it could sink below the surface.

'_**Rinnegan.' **_

'_**The Eyes of God.'**_

They were real. _'Overly powerful and exceedingly perfect'_. _**They were real.**_ _'The Sharingan was descended from these eyes.'_

**They were real.**

Oh no.

Naruto pulled. Gamaken's tongue did not budge. Naruto pulled harder, scraping at the ground. If he was calm enough to think, he would have summoned his Shadow Clones; a few Rasengans to that tongue and he'd be free.

He was not calm enough. In fact, the look on his face was one that made Gamakichi back up, and reminded him that the boy who had threatened to let loose the Kyūbi and destroy his home was not wholly dead yet.

"Let me go!" Naruto snarled, his eyes almost manic. "Jiraiya is… Ero-sennin is…!" There was no time to explain – they wouldn't know what he was talking about. Jiraiya probably already figured it out, but still…

**Still! **

"_**Let me –!**_"

Sasuke finally decided to act. In a flash of silver steel Gamaken's tongue retracted with a cry of pain and surprise. One of the white medic-toads left the team handling the warrior's left foreleg and went to heal the cut that was surprisingly deep.

Naruto scrambled away and scooped up the blue frog.

"You're like that other frog. The green one."

"H-he's my twin brother."

"What's your name?" The frog quivered, its vocal sac swelling minutely. "Tell me!"

Naruto needed to know. As Jiraiya's student, he technically had the authority to summon every toad on Mount Myōboku. But without a name to place to the Summon, that authority was useless.

The Summoning would fail, either by not working at all or, if one succeeded in muscling their way through it, calling someone utterly useless.

Most decent Summons, and _**especially**_ the most powerful ones, only responded to their names anyway.

"Gama…kawa."

Naruto brought the frog closer until they were inches apart. A thin sheen of something slimy covered the frog's skin and it trembled.

"Take me to Ero-sennin."

"I – I don't know where…"

"Amegakure. Now."

"You don't have to, Gamakawa!" Gamakichi insisted, this time sounding angry. "He's not Jiraiya."

"I'm his student."

"You're still a tadpole," Gamaken returned. "You're clumsy."

"So what?" Naruto was near-screaming now. Sasuke winced and lowered his ears a little to reduce the impact of noise. "So are you! Did that stop _**you**_ going?"

Gamaken paused. "I…am clumsy. But I could still come back alive. You can't. You will get in Jiraiya's way, and die." Gamaken took a deep breath and delivered the crushing blow. "We're both clumsy. But Jiraiya called me to fight by his side. He left you here. That's all there is to it."

The truth, spoken with a samurai's simplicity, crushed Naruto. His grip loosened; the frog, its skin already slick with mucus, slipped through and hopped a few yards away, staring at him warily.

Naruto let it go. That's right. Jiraiya had not wanted him to come. Not just because of Sasuke, but because he wasn't strong enough.

He was _**never**_ strong enough. That was why Danzō was able to convince Baa-chan. If Naruto was stronger, she wouldn't have been willing to trade him for…

"– family?"

_What? _

Sasuke was staring at him. His eyes were sharp. The nails on his right hand were broken and bleeding, but save for the little crease of pain in his forehead, he seemed to be ignoring it.

"What?"

"Is Jiraiya your family, Naruto?" And suddenly, Naruto's mind felt as clear as when he had been released from Danzō's genjutsu.

"Yes," he said, his voice strong.

Sasuke smiled. "Don't let your family die, Naruto. It's already (he held back the tears gathering in his eyes) too late for mine. Don't let yours die too! Or else you'll cry all day like I did and you won't live!"

Sasuke's words… brought the light back to Naruto's eyes. He grinned.

"Thanks, Sasuke."

He set the kitten down and, in an instant, caught the blue frog that had futilely tried to run for it.

"I don't care if I am a tadpole. Or clumsy. I'm gonna help Ero-sennin." He fixed Gamaken with a defiant glare. "And I'll come back _**alive**_. After all, I have a responsibility to take care of someone important."

"Who?" Sasuke asked curiously.

Naruto smiled and knowingly wagged his finger. "I'll tell you when I get back." Sasuke pouted, not enjoying being left out.

He hated being left out. And left behind.

The corner of Sasuke's lip turned up, the child to his habitual smirk.

He was not going to be. Not this time.

As Naruto finally got his way with Gamakawa, who reluctantly opened its mouth wide enough for him to step inside, Sasuke tensed his legs.

His Nii-chan was always trying to leave him behind. One time, though, he had managed to follow him on the way to a mission. It was the first time he had actually focused chakra to another part of his body besides his claws.

It let him move fast. Really fast. Fast enough to escape those weird people back in Konoha who had snuck into his room, use his claws to break through the weakened part of the bedroom door, and cling to Naruto before he was Reverse Summoned to the Toad Mountain.

And he would do it again. Naruto and his Nii-chan were the only family he had left. He would _**not**_ be left behind, ever again.

He crouched minutely and waited patiently; waited until the last of Naruto's sunshine hair disappeared.

Then he darted forward on all fours, faster than Gamakichi could blink or take a breath. By the time he shouted 'Sasuke!' the kitten had already disappeared into the depths of the frog's throat.

"Wait! Gamakawa, spit him out!"

The frog would not listen. He had had enough; Naruto downright scared him and all he wanted to do was get them both out. But fear also gave him an extreme case of paranoia; he was convinced that if he spit Sasuke out, it would anger Naruto because they would be wasting time. Naruto wanted to get to Amegakure as fast as possible and had told him to go as soon as he was inside.

So that was what he did, hopping the fastest he could. He felt a hand pushing against the inside of his mouth but ignored it. It pushed between his lips and the frog heard horrific hissing, screeching, and some rather … obscene yelling. He hesitated, then sucked the hand back in and swallowed heavily.

Get to Amegakure. Spit them out. Go home and snuggle with your wife until the tremors went away.

_Yeah_, he thought, diving headfirst into a nearby pond. _That was simple enough_.

* * *

**A/N: Wow sorry sorry sorry for the long wait. I really wanted to make this a double update, so it took way longer than expected. Soooo sorry! **

**You guys really responded to the last chapter and your comments made me so happy. Thank you for each and every one of them. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**See you all soon! **

**Edit (27/03/2015): It's nothing, just removed Naruto's blurb about the toads getting big. Somehow when I wrote this I forgot all about the Three Tails Arc, then I realised I forgot, then I panicked, then I calmed down and realised I didn't need to do anything about it. And if some of you have no idea what I'm talking about... good.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Quiet.

In the middle of battle, when the enemy is not yet defeated, quiet could be a good or bad thing.

It was good for thinking. Regrouping. Healing. Strategizing.

He was sure that his opponent was doing three of these four things. Unless one of those toads had an ability to heal.

No. If they had, they would not have let Jiraiya-sensei lose so much blood.

One of the massive copper pipes behind him, ripped from its base and standing in the water, finally collapsed under its own weight. The water swelled with the impact. He bobbed with the motion, its passing not disturbing him in the slightest.

Quiet also had its disadvantages. It made noise too apparent. The lightest sound could give away position, so the possibility for sneak attacks was almost always eradicated.

There were exceptions to this. Two came to mind in that moment.

One was where the enemy used something inconspicuous to lure attention away from their assault. This could be something simple like a thrown stone, or something heartless like a helpless child.

It could even be an animal native to the area.

Like a frog. With a splash – no, the movement of water was too small to be called a splash – the amphibian climbed up on one of the broken slabs of concrete that was ripped from one of the surrounding towers earlier in the battle.

Then it sat there, croaking.

He stared at it. The four others kept looking for sensei.

Pitiful.

After coming this far, was this the best Jiraiya could do? This half-baked distraction, if one could call it so much?

Very well. He raised his hand. He would acknowledge the attempt. Only because it came from sensei.

'_Shinra –'_

Something whirred through the air; he bent back slightly, letting the Fūma Shuriken pass inches away from his torso.

At that same moment, the frog leaped. It easily reached a height of forty feet and remained floating in mid-air, its mouth aimed downwards and opening.

Ah. So the animal was the attack, not the distraction.

A decent exception to the rule. But not good enough.

When one was an omnipotent god, no distraction _**or**_ attack was ever good enough.

Even if the two were combined.

The Asura Path, with a smile that would convince the unknowledgeable that he was enjoying every second of life, aimed its hand up towards the spinning frog, whose mouth was stretched open past thirty inches and still going.

Its wrist disjointed and opened, and a flurry of cylindrical missiles popped out. The missiles launched with a flash of fire and a screaming whistle.

At fifty inches, the frog's mouth stopped stretching. Out of the ominous dark hole in the sky flew something white and blue. It spun with an impressively loud buzz, like a mechanical saw. Four wind blades, spinning around a centre of whirling blue chakra.

It was a version of his sensei's Rasengan, one he had never seen before. And one he would never forget.

The wielder, wearing painfully clashing orange, backed his weapon like Jiraiya would, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "_**Fūton: Rasenshuriken**_!"

The 'shuriken' collided with the missiles. For a moment, there was silence.

Then the world exploded in a shower of white and blue chakra streaked with flames. The water's surface hissed as the firestorm superheated it, creating numerous clouds of steam.

The explosion's energy spread the lethal chakra, expanding it far beyond its normal limits. The nearby water roared as it was mercilessly sucked into the white vortex. The large copper pipes and chunks of concrete unfortunate enough to be within range were obliterated, ground to dust in a near instant.

The god jumped out of the way of the rapidly spreading sphere. Two of his Paths did not make it.

No. The steel-cable tongues that held their ankles in place did not allow them to make it – the Asura, who had fired the missiles, and the Human Path who was nearby.

No matter. The Naraka Path – a giant brute with a mean scowl permanently etched into his face – and the Preta Path – who just looked plain angry – were his most important survivors.

The Preta leaped into action, sucking the attack into the luminous sphere he held in front of his body.

The Naraka waited for it to finish. From what he could see, it was too late for the Asura and Human – thousands upon thousands, climbing to the millions – the number of blades that struck his two Paths was uncountable, even with the Rinnegan. Attacked on a cellular level, he knew that their chakra systems suffered grave, perhaps irreparable damage.

Yes. For the first time since discovering his divinity, the god doubted. He did not know if the Naraka could heal them.

There was one benefit, however. The wielder, who certainly was not Jiraiya, seemed to have destroyed himself with his own attack.

He aimed his palm towards the frog.

The frog simultaneously croaked, and a veritable barrage of orange exploded from its mouth. Hundreds of copies of the same person, most of them holding Rasengans, though they looked tiny compared to sensei's. Some were holding bigger ones that were closer to their superior, but not quite there.

Nonetheless, this was… an annoyance.

They freefell in waves, screaming nonsensical battle cries. The Preta, still occupied with the remains of the Rasenshuriken – the technique made overly-powerful by his own Asura's attack – was quickly destroyed, its face, chest, back and limbs wrung off and ground to a pulp by an onslaught of whirlwind chakra.

This time, the god did not doubt. There was no way that one could be healed.

The Naraka dodged, whirled and kicked, wielding two rods of dark metal to stab the clones before they got in arm's reach.

It was doing well. He looked up calmly to face his own barrage. He raised his hand.

'_Shinra Tensei_.'

It was mere thought barely whispered, but more than seven dozen Narutos were gone in a poof of smoke, decimated by the unseen force. The eyes of the clones that saw this widened. Shock registered on their faces for all of a second. Then they shook their heads and their eyes hardened once again.

A new wave of clones surged from the frog's gaping mouth, aiming Rasengans right at his skull. Hundreds upon hundreds.

The god… was impressed. That first jutsu, the Rasenshuriken, must take at least one third of the Jinchūriki's chakra. Without the Kyūbi's chakra, an onslaught like this, combined with just as many Rasengans, must be _**devastating**_ on his reserves.

This was not meant to defeat him at all. It was an attack: that was obvious. But it was also a distraction.

Five seconds passed. He stabbed two clones and, before they could disappear, swung them into five more before firing another _**Shinra Tensei**_.

They just kept coming. He was sure now. This was a classic 'hit and run' rescue, with an extraordinary amount of effort on the 'hitting' part. The original was not here. He was looking for Jiraiya, who had disappeared thirty minutes before the frog appeared.

If he did not know his sensei, then considering the length of time he remained hidden, he would have assumed that he had fled the battle.

But he _**knew**_ his sensei.

He glanced at the frog. A wall of orange blocked his vision. The time he would need to build up a _'Shinra Tensei'_ that could eliminate the orange buffer and blast that frog out of his village was time he did not have.

He could not get to it. And it was even worse for the Naraka Path.

He gritted his teeth and jumped back. And kept jumping back. The first few clones who were aiming for him were startled and smashed into the water, the Rasengans they wielded bringing up huge waves and almost fatally throwing the Naraka Path off its balance.

The clones behind the first unfortunate few quickly got their bearings and hit the water running, chasing mercilessly after him.

Another '_Shinra Tensei_' wiped out three quarters of the army. In less time than it took his jutsu to recharge, that three quarters was refilled twice over.

He did not sense any malicious chakra, only dangerous; the Kyūbi was not in use here. He could keep destroying the clones, but it was… pointless.

Where was the original?

He looked back towards the sprawl of twisted pipes and broken concrete, the new distance he had gained expanding his view. If he found the Kyūbi before it found sensei…

He did. The boy was kneeling on one of the concrete slabs that was fortunate enough to escape the destruction of the Rasenshuriken.

He seemed exhausted. The god looked. His chakra was very low, almost gone.

Perfect.

In a few leaps, he was on top of the boy. He swung a few weak punches. Pathetic.

Easily, he caught him by the throat and lifted him.

The clones stopped in their tracks.

"Begone," was the command from the God of Amegakure. "Or he's dead."

The clones gritted their teeth, anger and frustration oozing from their bodies. They slowly lowered their Rasengans and disappeared one by one, the poofs of their dissipation causing ripples over the lake surface.

Soon all were gone, and the only proof of their existence was the bed of white smoke hovering like thick mist over a third of the lake.

The blue frog, its purpose negated, tilted back and fell into the water with a soft plop.

One thousand. He had summoned and attacked with one thousand clones.

That was truly impressive.

He released his grip from the Jinchūriki's neck; the boy dropped to his knees, where he coughed weakly. His face was pale and drenched in sweat. Even his hair was damp. He was panting, despite not having fought.

"Who…" the boy wheezed, a single blue eye with a vertical slit for a pupil glaring up at him. "Who are you?"

The Jinchūriki deserved that much before its death. "I am Pain." The boy's eyes widened. "I am God."

He laughed. It faltered when he saw that Pain was completely serious.

"You…how can you…?"

Pain almost sighed. Instead, he blinked slowly, looking down at him with utmost severity. Behind him, the Naraka path picked up the Asura and Human. He stepped into something unseen and disappeared, sinking into the concrete.

Naruto barely paid it any attention. He was fixated on the eyes of the Pain in front of him. The way those eyes _**looked**_ at him…

It was the look one would give a dying insect. A pitying look of annoyance, that though the chore was bothersome, one would still do what had to be done.

Put the insect out of its misery.

Pain was going to kill him. It was a simple fact and nothing more. There was no malice, no hatred, no triumph, nothing that let Naruto feel that he was anything _**human**_. He was a bug writhing lowly on the ground, one that made this god heave a great sigh and rise from his throne, _**deigning**_ to kill him himself.

A bothersome chore, but one that had to be done.

Naruto shuddered, feeling ill all over. Those eyes… were worse than Danzō's, than the _**village's**_ had ever been.

After he had used up every last ounce of his chakra and pushed himself so far beyond his limits that his very veins felt dry, to be looked at like _**that**_…

It made him so _**angry**_ that he could spit. The Kyūbi's chakra roiled in his stomach, but Naruto shoved it back. He did not need _**that**_ coming out of all things. Even though the images of Pain getting ripped to shreds by blood crimson chakra claws were not altogether displeasing.

Pain opened his mouth to speak, and the rest of Naruto's world grew silent. He would remember every last word this man said. And then, to restore his status and pride as a _**human**_, he would affirm as much to Pain by punching him in the face with the best Sakura-level punch he could muster.

And if by some miracle he actually got that far, he would punch him again. And then pass out.

"This world…" Pain began, speaking with the kind of lament that made Naruto almost think of Jiraiya. Almost. "…is a child. A child steeped in hate." He held up his hand to stop Naruto's question and looked ahead, at something only he could see.

"One man kills another. His brother avenges him. The man's friends avenge their comrade. And on it goes. A cycle of hatred, one that the world is still, for the most part, ignorant of." He looked down at Naruto. "Does this sound familiar to you?"

"Yeah." His breathing had steadied, but his limbs had a limpness about them that Pain could see clearly. The boy could not move, even if he had a kunai held to his throat. "Ero-sennin…told me about it. He said he wanted to do something about it."

"'Want to' and actually _**doing**_ are two separate things. That is the difference between sensei and I. He sits and pampers the world, while I do what is necessary to make it grow up."

_Sensei… _

"What…do you mean?"

The Jinchūriki was fighting to stay conscious. His eyelids were trembling just to stay open. "The Bijuu are beasts with tremendous power. They were sealed inside human containers for that very reason. You are a valuable weapon to your village, Uzumaki Naruto, as are all the Jinchūriki."

Naruto gritted his teeth, but he remained silent. He wanted to hear this man's motives.

"The world respects power. They will listen to one who is powerful. If I possessed all the Tailed Beasts, the _**power**_ behind each and every one of the Hidden Villages, they would have no choice but to listen to me."

"You want to rule the world," said Naruto flatly.

"I do not," Pain shook his head. "What I want is peace." Naruto opened his mouth. Then shut it again. There were no words to describe how lost he was right now. "I will create a jutsu using the Bijuu, one that can obliterate a nation in mere seconds. Hundreds of thousands, millions upon millions will die. I will give this weapon to each of the villages. This will instil great paranoia. After all, who will use the weapon first? And which village will be the first victim? Suspicion and fear will rise. A Kage will break. The weapon will be used. And the world will know pain."

He did not become animated, or use gestures. It was nothing obvious like that. But as Pain talked, his voice rose to life, sounding for the first time as though a beating heart backed his words.

_This_, Naruto realised in horror. _This is really what he wants to do. This is his true dream._

"A war will be fought the likes of which the world has never seen, and will never see again. The entire world will be brought to the brink of death. At the end of it, the few who remain will be terrified. Surrounded by death, they will know and become trapped within infinite pain. Just like I have."

The Path paused. Naruto swallowed.

"Their understanding, their very beings will transcend from man to god. All conflicts will cease. Wrapped within the guiding hands of pain, the world will grow up, and finally know peace."

"And you…" Naruto's voice was too dry. He swallowed again. "It's your…goal to do this? Akatsuki, _**murdering**_ the Jinchūriki, it's all for this?"

"As god, I must cleanse this world consumed in meaningless strife and guide it to peace. It is my duty."

"_**Y-your duty**_?" Naruto was hissing, and a maddening chakra churned in his stomach. He forced himself to keep calm. "You think murdering the Jinchūriki, and all those people, is your duty?!"

"Yes." Naruto froze. How can he talk like that? Like what he's doing is perfectly logical. Reasonable? Right and sound? As if…he really is a god?

"For I am a God of Peace."

All delusions of somehow getting out of this with his life shattered. This man, who was _**going**_ to kill him, had to die. Here and now. At this point, a mutual death was the best he could hope for.

_Sasuke_…

This was his best chance; if he let him go, he'd never get another. If he stopped here, Pain would never be defeated.

He reached into his jacket.

The motion was by no means slow. It was a slight-of-hand manoeuvre, one that could not be seen by most.

Pain was not 'most'. He knocked his hand away with a metal rod and stabbed through his arm into the concrete below. Naruto gritted his teeth; he was trapped.

He gasped. A sharp blackness – shattered like broken glass – hot and sticky like molten pitch – seeped mercilessly into his chakra system, batting aside any remnants of his own chakra like a lion would to an irritating cub.

Needless to say, the blackness' invasion was overpowering.

At that moment, the Naraka path returned, without the two other Paths. Pain did not even look at it, but his eyes flickered slightly with something close to anger.

The damage had been irreversible. The Asura and Human could not be revived. Three of his six Paths had been rendered utterly useless. It was a feat that even Jiraiya could not accomplish – yet this _**boy**_…

"Now then, Kyūbi," his voice was the promising herald of Naruto's death. Pain reached down; Naruto tried to pull away but the rod in his arm would not budge. The viscous chakra flowing into it _**pulsed**_, the dissonance making him retch. "You're mine –"

"_**Chōōdama Rasengan!**_" Pain's eyes widened in the first true emotion Naruto had ever seen on his face – surprise. He turned to face a massive Rasengan mere inches from grinding his face to powder.

Not for a moment – a mere _**second**_ – had he forgotten about Jiraiya. All of his senses were expanded to the fullest, searching for the slightest movement that would indicate his presence.

And yet, he still had not sensed such a ridiculously enormous jutsu coming.

He had underestimated his sensei. Doing the same with that boy in the beginning of this… annoyance… had taken two of his Paths.

The result would not repeat itself.

"_**Shinra Tensei.**_" Unyielding gravity surged forth. The Rasengan was slowed, but still pushed forward. Pain narrowed his eyes, putting out more chakra. The massive Rasengan stopped and shook, its wielder determined not to give in.

However, with a final almighty _**push**_, it was shoved high into the air, where it exploded like a miniature sun, distorting the lake's surface with powerful shockwaves and covering everything in a searing blue light that temporarily blinded him and his only remaining Path.

Yet, despite the lake's jarring waters splashing forcefully and loudly around him, Pain heard _**it**_ before he could see.

The mechanical whirring of four spinning chakra blades.

It was _**huge**_. The Rasengan at its core was just as big as its ill-fated predecessor's. And Pain could see some of the same chakra swirling in its depths.

The strength he had used to send Jiraiya's Rasengan flying made him incapable of using his jutsu for at least thrice the normal time.

Fifteen seconds. That was plenty of time to dodge the Rasenshuriken and counter… attack…

Time slowed down for Pain as he looked behind him. Blue sparks still flashed in his eyes, but even half-blind he could not mistake the almost luminous blond hair and a smirk just as dazzling. Naruto, still too weak to move, sat behind him wearing a savage grin.

They were both in the jutsu's warpath.

No. This was a trick. Only the Jinchūriki can wield the Rasenshuriken. That means one of them must be a clone. But which one?

Obviously the one sitting behind him. There was no way that the Kyūbi would take a risk as big as this.

But, what if that was what he wanted? He had just told the Jinchūriki his plan; what if he decided to kill himself in a misguided attempt to stop him?

No, no. He was not wrong. The clone was the one behind him. All he had to do was dodge and let it be destroyed.

And what if it was not? What if… he was the real Jinchūriki? If he killed him, the Kyūbi would die with him. He would fail, and the world would never know peace.

A god does not fail.

The jutsu was right on top of him. Pain gritted his teeth and dodged, leaping back a good twenty meters.

The Naraka Path rushed forward, broke the chakra receiver binding Naruto to the ground and, with one half of his body already consumed by the tempestuous jutsu, grabbed the Leaf Shinobi's arm and threw him as hard as he could.

The Naraka Path was swallowed, the Rasenshuriken expanding into a raging white sphere of lethal chakra.

The thrown Naruto collided right into the single remaining Path, who immediately stuck a smaller rod into his shoulder, effectively paralysing him. He held him up on his feet with an arm locked around his neck, not choking but not letting him breathe easy.

Naruto winced. His skin was cold and kind of plastic. Synthetic. Like if you pulled it too much, it would stretch unnaturally before it ripped. And the sour-sweet smell coming off his arm made his stomach churn.

After securing _**his**_ Naruto, the Deva Path stared unblinking at the Rasenshuriken's wielder, the last grains of light from the _**Chōōdama**_ dissolving from his vision.

The container jumped back. Looked over at him. Grinned. And poofed out of existence.

"You are insane, Uzumaki Naruto."

The boy laughed. "I'm surprised that worked actually. I thought you woulda figured it out since all my clones did as you said."

Pain thought back. He made a thoughtful rumble in his throat. "I see. They protect the original."

"Bingo."

"I will remember that." Then Pain's arm swiftly tightened, pressing against his jugular in a precise sleeper hold. As the boy slipped into unconsciousness, one of his comments rang suspect in Pain's mind.

It_**…worked**_?

The Naruto he was holding slumped: and popped in a cloud of smoke like its brother before it. Before Pain could even register its disappearance, the Fūma Shuriken lodged in a lone rock beside him, the one he had so easily dodged before the battle had even begun, turned into an orange-clad leaf shinobi wielding a scroll.

A plain white scroll, with a simple, glowing red kanji on it.

Fire.

Pain's head was covered with it. Black flames hotter than the deepest hell burned away his skin, his hair, his very eyes were _**melting**_, he could feel the water inside them boiling, turning to steam, ready to pop…

"_**Shinra Tensei!**_" he screamed. The flames were blown away.

Naruto took a step back.

Pain now looked _**horrific**_, like something out of a nightmare. His lips, nose and hair had all been burned away, the piercings in his face long sinking to the lake's bottom. His eyelids were gone, leaving the Rinnegan bulging out of their sockets. His ears were half burned off, the large metal rods inside of them hanging limply. His teeth were … _**exposed**_ all the way back to his cheeks. This was no longer the head of a man. It was a skull over which charred skin was stretched.

But that was not why Naruto stepped back.

When his head had been on fire, when his own _**eyeballs**_ had been _**cooking**_ in their sockets, Pain had not screamed. Not once. He had flailed and made brushing gestures at the flames, though careful not to actually touch them.

But he had been silent. As though Pain could not feel pain. For some reason that, above all else, made Naruto _**seethe**_ with absolute _**disgust**_.

This _**thing**_ had to die. Now was the perfect time.

Before he could make a move, however, Pain slowly brought trembling hands up to his face. In silent shock, he felt his bones, his teeth, his eyes. Naruto shuddered in repulsion.

He bent over and looked at his reflection in the lake.

He _**screamed**_ with all the abject horror he should have released when his head was burning.

"_**Yahiko**_!" he cried in absolute torment; a high-pitched wail of utter despair. A cry of grief, of _**remorse**_, that had no place coming from a god. "What have I let happen?! What have I done?! _**Yahiko! **_**YAHIKO!**"

Suddenly he froze, and turned to look at Naruto with an expression of pure hell. Coming from the face to match, Naruto could almost _**feel**_ the fires of the Pit. All composure, all superiority, all divinity was gone. With bulging eyes flashing blood-red fury and bared teeth gnashed in rage, Pain _**screamed**_.

"_**UZUMAKI NARUTO!**_"

Naruto flinched. He was paralysed with the palpable molten _**wrath**_ that was mercilessly crushed into his name.

Pain _**launched**_, all jutsu and proper shinobi technique forgotten; he was acting solely on primal instinct, fingers stretched and tensed to claw out Naruto's throat.

How far from divinity he had fallen.

He tossed aside duty, callously threw away his own dream and the dream of Akatsuki. The dream of Yahiko. All that mattered was ending the boy in front of him. As long as he did that... everything else could rot.

So lost was he in his own bloodlust that he never saw Jiraiya's punch coming – a punch powered with every last drop of the Sannin's Sage Mode chakra. Even when knuckles hard and unforgiving as steel _**smashed**_ into his (_**exposed**_) teeth, jarring a few loose and severely bruising pink gums, Pain did not recognise the source of the blow that felled him.

He did not have time, having been knocked unconscious almost as soon as the hit landed.

The broken god tumbled and bounced along the water's surface before coming to rest, not in the cold, unforgiving depths of the lake, but in a bed of fluttering paper.

A beautiful woman with blue hair, amber eyes that were much softer than the ones Jiraiya had encountered, and large paper wings hovered before them. Her lower half was gone; paper peeled off from the edges where her legs should have been and flew towards Pain, gently encasing him in a paper cocoon.

She stared at them all the while, in case they made a move. Naruto gritted his teeth and stepped forward. Jiraiya held him back with his remaining arm and a look that said, _'you want to fight her, fight me first._'

Naruto stayed put.

She finished wrapping up Pain and shot the smallest glance to her former sensei (though Naruto did not know this, and therefore wondered at the action). Before he could make anything of it, she lowered her gaze only slightly, but enough to assure them that she had reached the same conclusion they had.

"This battle is over."

With that, she dissolved and folded into dozens upon dozens of tiny, origami butterflies. Master and student watched them flutter off, cradling the cocoon on their white wings, until they were far too out of sight to be seen.

Jiraiya sighed. "No use following her. That's probably not even the right direction."

"Huh?"

Jiraiya shook his head. Naruto would forget everything he tried to explain now anyway.

"Well, all of that confirmed everything I was thinking anyway. Even without that nice little breakdown at the end."

"What's that mean?"

Jiraiya clapped Naruto on the shoulder, more to stop his swaying than anything. Fukasaku, who hopped from the shoulder he had vigilantly sentinelled for the past half hour, silently slithered out his tongue and wrapped it around the boy's torso to keep him from sinking any further into the lake.

"It means that Nagato's behind everything after all. And unfortunately, it seems that Yahiko really is dead. But we can't find Nagato now anyway, so we're going back home."

"Oh. Okay. That's nice, Ero-sennin."

"Yes it is. And you're about to pass out from chakra exhaustion."

"Mmhmm."

Jiraiya sighed again and grabbed Naruto around the waist, hoisting him over his now unoccupied shoulder. Looked like he had all the dirty work of cleaning up Pain's remaining two – no, one body.

There was no telling where the other two went, and that one that absorbed chakra met a _**brutal**_ end.

"Naruto, before you pass out."

"Hmm?"

Jiraiya's voice lowered to a deathly serious bass. "Did I punch him hard enough for you?"

Naruto took a moment to absorb the question. When he did, Jiraiya could feel him smiling.

"Yeah. You did."

"Good."

"'suke. How's he?" Naruto slurred.

"He's fine. I made sure he stayed inside the toad. But if he hadn't smelled Itachi on me, I never would've thought to use that old scroll. That thing's been in my back pocket for ages now…"

Faint snores answered him. He smiled and adjusted Naruto on his shoulder. Dumb kid probably fell asleep as soon as he heard that Sasuke was okay.

He glanced at the orange tourniquet tied around his left stump of an arm.

"I'm going to give you hell for it later. But if you hadn't come here, I probably would have died. So, thank you, Naruto."

Naruto blissfully slept, not hearing a single word.

* * *

**A/N: Just one thing. If Naruto seems overpowered in this, that's because he is. **

**That said, this fight is definitely plainer than the last one. Seeing as it wasn't really a fight, I hope it wasn't too boring. But don't worry. The next time Pain shows up...**

**Well, that'll be next time.**

**See you guys later!**

**Edit (21/03/15): To those who recognise the 'Not Sick' line in here, kudos.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The town had no name. It was nowhere on any map. It was poor, and tiny, with a population of less than five hundred.

It was snuggled in a small valley, surrounded by tall hills and small mountains whose faces were dotted with gaping black entrances.

Mining tunnels. The mountains' veins were long bled dry, but a few people had remained, not needing promised riches to love the peaceful and scarred beauty of those pitted mounts.

Thus, an old outpost long abandoned by fickle owners had been expanded and inhabited by the original miners' families and their successive generations, as well as people who just had nowhere else to go.

Because of its unique population, most who came seeking refuge would not be turned away. The town's poverty and no name status almost guaranteed protection from criminals looking to become rich or make a name for themselves. Its absence from any map made it incredibly easy to stumble upon, but twice as difficult to find again.

It would be the perfect hiding place; however, because its population was so small, it only took half a day for everyone to know that their population had increased. Another week or so would pass before the residents could be sure whether or not it was a permanent addition.

The town's newest refugees had about three more days before this decision would be made. While still a bit apprehensive of the larger of the two men, most could not deny that the other was rather handsome, even beautiful if one felt brave enough to go so far.

It was too bad he was an invalid.

They had holed up where most new refugees did; in the old fisherman's shack on the opposite side of the valley's one and only river. It was not too near and not too far from the settlement; perfect for newcomers who wished to be left alone to recuperate and observe without diving full-fledged into an unknown population.

Though most did not realise that this also worked the other way around. But none of the villagers felt any need to let newcomers know this.

The shack was also the place for foreigners to make a decision. Depending on which way one decided, that old shack would become either too far from the place they wished to call home, or too near to the place they wished to leave.

For that reason, that place was nicknamed Den of the Hesitant; to refer to the almost animalistic way that newcomers poked their heads out from the shack to scope and survey the town before making their next move.

The few that did not do this were usually already decided on their course of action. These were always either travellers who already had a set destination in mind and were unfortunately detoured by stumbling into this godforsaken valley, or true refugees who were still being chased by the person, or persons who made them refugees in the first place.

The large, blue-skinned man, one of the two most recent newcomers, fell into the latter category perfectly. He was still being chased, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do with this town.

Leave. As quickly as possible.

All the residents of this backwater place already knew they were here, what they looked like. It was not good enough that the only way to find the place was by pure accident or a crudely drawn map from the town's single cartographer.

It was not good enough to hide from Akatsuki. On much less information, they had already found secret communities that lived in much more secluded places – the most memorable being an entire pseudo-empire whose inhabitants lived in holes in the ground.

He had already stayed here too long. His 'ex' partner had already given up on life. He'd seen that look…too many times.

"I'm leaving."

The man who was sitting in a plain futon by the window said nothing. He was slouched over, his long hair out of its habitual ponytail and falling over his shoulders, faintly shadowing his eyes. The sun was setting, casting crimson light over the river's waters and gently brushing against the man's ghost-like skin.

It almost made him look like he had blood in his veins, almost hid the truth that he had coughed and vomited up most of his body's blood supply.

Four days. They (_**he**_: the silent man made no effort to save himself: not that he could, anyway) had been running without sleep, food or natural water for four days when this town finally came into view.

At that point, he did not care if the man in the orange swirled mask was that town's mayor.

He was going to rest.

And he had. Far longer than he intended to. It was so easy to rest here, in quiet and peace. But he could not let himself be fooled.

Akatsuki was after him. Both of them. The mask would, and _**could**_ kill his silent (friend? comrade?) … partner at first sight. He had felt his bloodlust in their last encounter; so seasoned, rich, deep, and terrifying. Few things scared him, but the _**will**_ of the man he had direly mistaken for a fool petrified him.

He could probably get out of dying by blaming everything on Itachi's genjutsu.

But he would not. He _**hated**_ lies.

"Those few days on the run were rough. But I've recovered." He rotated his left arm, fresh bandages applied to the almost-closed wound.

Without the healing chakra Samehada had absorbed from that girl, he would have lost that arm, and would probably have had to do the amputation himself.

He had her to thank for Itachi as well. She extended his life by three weeks for the most. Unless some sort of miracle happened, at the end of three weeks, Itachi would be no more…

Kisame did not believe in miracles.

"So I'm leaving." He stood, picking up a large, bandaged sword and hooking it to his back. "Tobi…"

'_Madara.' It was the first and last time Itachi would speak since his battle with Danzō. He said it while slung over the giant man's shoulder, his head occasionally bumping against Samehada. 'His true identity is Uchiha Madara. Do not underestimate him…'_

"Madara will be here any day now." A sharp row of teeth glinted in a habitual grin. "I'm gonna meet up with him and return to Akatsuki."

The grin faded. The man frowned. "I won't wait around here to die with you, Itachi."

Kisame believed that after one had fed, clothed and bathed a man, he had a right to drop honorifics. Not that Itachi had ever insisted on honorifics, or even asked for them.

And, well, Kisame had only bathed him once, after he had fallen unconscious at the first place they stopped to rest. After that, Itachi adamantly insisted on performing all toiletries by himself.

Not by speaking, or glaring, both of which Kisame would have greatly preferred. He would have welcomed any sign that showed him that Itachi was still alive, or rather, still _**wanted**_ to be alive.

But no. After he realised what Kisame had done for him while he was unconscious, Itachi simply used whatever little chakra he had to stick himself to the floor when Kisame (uncertainly) tried again.

There were no more attempts after that.

Itachi kept himself clean. However, he could not seem to bring himself to take food, water or medicine.

_What the hell happened in that fight with Danzō?_

Kisame had been on the verge of asking him this many times, but he knew it would be pointless.

All he knew was that two lives were claimed. Only one mattered to him.

Itachi's left eye was dead.

Was he mourning? Kisame could not tell. Things such as mourning and grief always seemed too mundane for the last older brother of the Uchiha.

After all, anyone he would grieve over was dead already. And since they had all been killed by the Uchiha's own hands, 'grieving' in itself was reduced from a useless concept to a rather stupid one.

No. Itachi was not grieving. It was simpler and more precise than that.

His eye died, and his spirit – any lifeforce that could be defined as 'Itachi' died right along with it.

No different then, was the indomitable will that had prolonged Itachi's life as much as the medicine. Day in and day out, Itachi sat there like a porcelain doll, doing nothing, saying _**nothing**_.

Sure the Uchiha had never been talkative. But _**eight days**_ had never passed without so much as a word from him.

Kisame had known him from since he was a kid. They had been partners (comrades?) for almost seven years.

Going eight days without hearing him speak was… unsettling. It was the same feeling one would get if they had lived by the ocean all their life, and was suddenly moved to a place where they could not hear it.

Unease.

Kisame hated it. Dead will, dead soul, dead voice. He hated it all. And now, he would leave it behind.

He opened the shack's door and took one last look at Itachi, who still had not acknowledged that he heard Kisame say a single thing. But Kisame knew he was listening.

He opened his mouth for a curtailed goodbye…

_Quack-quack-quack. Quack-quack-quack. _

Kisame froze. Itachi's finger twitched. The quiet alarm sounded deafening in the shack's silence.

Kisame glanced over to a small, crude table, where the alarm sat quacking away, next to a tall vial of green fluid that would only last a couple more days if used sparingly.

Itachi was too sick to use it sparingly. The alarm's quacking announced that it was time for another dose.

_Kisame remembered perfectly when they had gotten it. He didn't remember where, but it was a busy street. Not overcrowded, just busy. _

_They were walking at a good pace, not too fast or slow, when Itachi had suddenly stopped, the chimes on his hat tinkling as his head swiftly turned. Kisame had blinked, never seeing Itachi perform such an abrupt action outside of a fight. If there was a shop he wanted to visit, he would plan ahead, or see it from a distance, and walk in that direction with a set purpose in his steps._

_Kisame's eyes had then followed to where Itachi was looking. Behind a very clean shop window sat a tiny alarm, small enough to fit in a child's hand. _

_In the shape of a black duck. _

_He looked up. Itachi was gone. A minute later, the black duck was gone. Thirty seconds after that, Itachi walked out with it in his hand, already setting the timer._

"_So I don't forget my doses," he said nonchalantly, holding his hand up and letting the thing fall into his sleeve. He continued walking down the street._

'_You never forget your doses.' _

_Kisame followed him, not saying a word._

It was the only civilian thing Itachi owned.

Something in Kisame felt … off … when he thought that this would be the last time he was hearing it.

He went through the door, closed it behind him, and walked away without saying a word.

The duck was still quacking.

_It's not my problem any –_

"Hey mister. You really leaving him?"

_What?_

He looked down. A little… tentative boy? … looked back up at him. He (she?) had shoulder-length white hair and soft, droopy eyes with thick brows and eyelashes.

In an uncharacteristic moment, Kisame thought this child looked less like a child and more like a baby sheep.

"What?"

The child put his (her?) index into his (its!) mouth and looked up at him with a sorrowful expression.

"He coughs just like mama. Does red stuff come out when he coughs too?"

"Wha –?"

"Lamb!" Moments later, a (definitive) boy came running, with dark hair and sharper eyes. He looked to be about ten. "Sorry mister, he (oh, so it was a boy) got away from me."

"You were watching us," Kisame smirked. "From those bushes over there. The leaves are still on your pants."

The boy blushed. "Uh, yeah. Only 'cause we heard that guy coughing one day. Sounds like our mom." The boy shifted uncomfortably. "My name's Akio. This is Akihiko," he pointed to the sheep-child, "but we nicknamed him Lamb."

_So it's not just me._

"Well then," he started walking away, "good day."

"Uh, wait!"

Kisame frowned. _I wonder if I should kill them. _How long had they been watching anyway? As a ninja, he had trained himself, as much as he could, to sense chakra signatures whenever they were nearby. Samehada only reacted to chakra it liked (or really hated), so it was no help in sensing civilians.

He was even worse at it. It didn't make sense to him to bother anyway. After all, civilians weren't a threat to him.

Only Itachi bothered to try. He probably already knew they were here.

Kisame felt a pang of irritation but did not know why.

"You're a ninja, right mister?" Akio asked, approaching him with careful steps. "Before you go, could you help us? We wanna get some medicine for our mom."

What was with these kids? He was huge, he was _**blue**_, and he had a massive sword on his back. Even stray dogs were smart enough to run from him.

Oh. Right. They've been watching for a while. So they think they know everything.

Time to prove them wrong.

He reached back for Samehada, and in a movement faster than should have been possible the blade was rested on Akio's shoulder, not enough to topple him, but enough for him to feel its weight.

The boy froze, his eyes grew wide, his face grew pale. All classic reactions that Kisame loved.

"What's in it for me if I help you?" his standard grin was in place. Akio swallowed at the sight of the wickedly sharp teeth.

"We'll tell you which way to go from here to get to the nearest town," he answered readily. Seemed he had done this kind of thing before.

Kisame's smirk grew wider. "I could just kill your little brother and force the information out of you."

Akio's arm immediately flew in front of Lamb, who shrunk back behind him.

"You wouldn't." It was not said as a gasp of horror that he could suggest such a thing. Instead, it was said as a surety. As truth.

Kisame blinked. "How are you so sure?"

"Because you're taking care of that guy." He made to nod over to the shack, but Samehada swiftly prohibited the movement. "It's tough taking care of an invalid. You can't do it if you don't have a heart." The boy then had the audacity to smirk. "And people who have hearts don't kill kids who did nothin' to 'em."

Kisame grinned. He lifted the sword from Akio's shoulder, but before the child had a chance to sigh in relief, he held the blade high over his head, ready to bring it down in a vicious chop that would split them both in two.

Akio's teeth gritted; he made to shove Lamb away from him as the blade swung down, slicing through the air and towards the child's skull.

_All right, we'll help you._

Kisame froze. Samehada was centimetres from the boy's sweaty forehead. Kisame gritted his teeth in frustration.

Was it _**that**_ ingrained?

Kisame could _**see**_ _**him**_ take a step forward, pointedly ignoring the bit of violence that Samehada almost wrought.

'Tch.' The sound came out before he could stop it. His arm raised Samehada in unthinking motion; having been trained through repetition to pull the sword back whenever Itachi took that step forward.

Except Itachi was not here.

It did not matter. It still felt like he was. Kisame could hear him listing out the conditions, and mirrored words spilled from his lips.

"I'll help. But if it's too much trouble, I'll decline. And if the information is lacking," here, Kisame smiled. The children stepped back, swallowing heavily. In terms of delivering fear, his teeth had nothing to want from the Sharingan. "I will return," he ended simply. Both kids knew what that meant.

Akio's body stiffened, his jaw firmed as he nodded.

"If you don't reach the next town in two days with my directions, you can come back for me. But leave Lamb out of it, he don't know nothin'."

Yup. This kid's definitely done this before. Kisame grinned once more, his hand leaving Samehada completely.

"Very well. Where to?"

Akio jerked his thumb to a small rowboat that Kisame could fill just by standing up.

He took Lamb's hand and ran towards the boat. "You're a ninja, you can walk right?"

Kisame smirked and followed.

* * *

The sun slowly set, leaving the sky in a rapidly fading shade of red and orange.

Kisame walked, Akio rowed, and Lamb made string figures. Kisame glanced at the string contorted in innumerable twists and loops around the child's fingers.

He had never understood that game.

Lamb pulled his hands apart. Kisame blinked. Even he could recognise the shape as a broomstick. Impressive.

"Hey, mister?"

"Kisame."

"What?"

"My name."

"Oh. Kisame, what's that cloak for? Does it mean somethin'?"

"No."

"Is it comfy?"

"You're asking too many questions, kid."

"Oh. Sorry."

Akatsuki. Kisame did not know why he had lied to Itachi. It was the first time untruth slipped past his tongue since… another life ago.

Why did he go that far? To get a reaction out of his dead-souled partner? That sounded too petty, but it was probably the closest thing to the truth.

Either way, Kisame had no intentions of going back to Akatsuki. After he learned that Tobi was really Uchiha Madara, and he remembered the _**bloodlust**_ he had aimed towards Itachi, Kisame only felt one thing.

Betrayal.

A world with no more lies? A world of peace?

A world where one would no longer be forced to kill their comrades?

_**Bullshit**_.

No one was forcing him, so why was he after his own family blood? Itachi could do nothing against him or Akatsuki the way he was now.

Did he want Itachi to die all along? Since Danzō did not manage to do the job, was he looking to finish it?

Well, Madara could have him. He was finished with the Uchiha. They were liars, all of them. It was time for him to move forward and find his own peace.

Make his own world without lies.

"I found out about this medicine."

Akio was talking. Kisame glanced at him.

"It's called River Stars because the weeds light up at night and they look like underwater stars. Anyway, back before I found out about this, mom was coughing really, really bad. She was gonna (he glanced at Lamb) well, she wasn't lookin' good. So I started thinkin' 'bout how to save her.

"The doctor said she kept coughing up blood and mucus. I didn't know what that was – mucus, not blood, I know what blood is – so I got my big brother (_there are more of you?_) to give me one of his books. He travels a lot so he has lots of books. I saw what mucus was, and that frogs have it all over their bodies. That's why frogs are so slimy."

"Frogs?" Kisame could not help asking. _How did we get to frogs?_

Akio caught himself. He laughed. "Sorry. I'm not so good at storytellin'. You see, we eat frogs." _Well that was abrupt._ "Lamb and I, we catch 'em right on the river and eat them. We cook 'em first of course!" _Good to know._ "We like 'em with the skin on – keeps 'em moist – but the slime is a problem. So we always rubbed River Stars on 'em to get all the slime off. When I found out that that slime was actually mucus, it got me thinkin'."

_I think I see where this is going._

"Did you know we also grind up the River Stars to put on really bad cuts? Stops the bleedin' really fast. So, I did kind of a gross experiment."

Kisame raised an eyebrow.

"I collected all the stuff mom coughed out for a day, then ground up the River Stars until I got enough juice to pour over it. In about five minutes most everything was dried up! I couldn't believe it!"

_You know, I think I'm actually starting to like this kid._

"I gave mom the juice to drink, but it just made her throw up." Akio winced a bit with guilt. "So I talked to my big brother again. He told me that drinking it would make it go into her belly. What I wanted to do was make it go into her chest, where her – uh – her…"

"Lungs," Kisame supplied with a hint of amusement.

"Yeah! Where her lungs are. So she had to breathe it in. I asked him how she could do that, and he said he knows a machine that could help. A… a…"

"Nebulizer?"

"Yeah! We don't have much money, but he's good with his hands, so he made one. He says the way it works is real simple. You just grind up the leaves, put in the juice, use your chakra to build up pressure inside – well, he's the only one of us who can use chakra, so he does that, but we crank it up – so yeah you build up the pressure and let the person breathe in the gas that comes out. And it worked! Mom was breathin' lots better! In a month she was walkin' around just like normal!"

"I thought she was an invalid," Kisame could not help but point out.

"Well, when she was coughin' she was. She's still gotta take the medicine everyday, or she'll get really sick again. Lookin' after her when she's bad like that is a real pain. She's mom. She shouldn't be weak and helpless like that. I didn't like it. That's why I thought so hard of a way to help her."

Kisame was silent. "When someone you care about is sick, you wanna help 'em right? Help 'em get strong again."

"This is the spot, right?" They had stopped five minutes ago, right in the centre of the river. "So you want me to dive down and get these weeds for you."

"Yeah. Mom's fine as long as she gets her medicine."

"How were you able to get to them before?"

"They grow all over the riverbed, even in the shallow parts near the banks. But we had some rainstorms a few weeks ago; the river burst the banks and destroyed all the shallow ones. The deep ones are all that's left. I'll need about forty stalks. Ah, they look like this."

He handed over a very well-drawn picture, with neat and precise lines.

"Your older brother?"

"Yup!"

"Let me guess, he wants to be a scientist or a doctor?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?"

Kisame shrugged and pulled off his cloak, dropping it into the boat.

"Hold on to that for me and don't look inside the pockets. There are things in there that will kill you."

Akio swallowed and pulled the cloak away from Lamb. Kisame suppressed a chuckle and his chakra, sinking into the water with barely a sound and a fraction of a ripple.

In two minutes he came up again and dropped forty stalks into the boat. Akio thanked him and promptly gave him the directions, including another well-drawn map.

Kisame took his cloak and was about to part ways with the little brats when Lamb suddenly spoke up.

"Half is yours." He turned to see the sheep-child holding out the bundle to him, tied with the string he had been playing with the entire boat ride.

Akio winked at him. Kisame silently took the parcel. Lamb smiled, making his droopy eyes look even droopier.

"We have an extra nebulizer," said Akio, starting to row away. "If you want it, follow us. If you're really leaving, then go ahead. You've got the map." He hesitated. Scowled a little, then smiled. "Taking care of an invalid is a pain. But if we don't do it, they'll die. Just leaving someone to die because they're weak – that's pretty cruel don'tcha think?"

Kisame did not answer. He just kept looking after the small boat as it rowed farther and farther away, trying to forget the stalks of River Stars Samehada already had stuffed inside its mouth.

* * *

In the lone fisherman's shack, a gruesome coughing could be heard, accentuated with the sounds of a thick substance splatting on the floor.

The sound quickened the steps of the large man who approached, with a bandaged sword on his back and a strange parcel under his arm.

Five minutes after the man entered the shack, the coughing subsided. The futon was changed; the one stained with blood was carried outside and washed in the river. The floors were cleaned of blood.

The River Stars were cut up and crushed, and soon the apparatus the man had brought was being set up.

"You're back."

The quiet, familiar greeting, one that sounded blunt and uncaring but was not, was just as quietly received by secretly starving ears.

"Yeah."

The apparatus was set up. The large man put as much chakra into the machine as it could take, then held a hard plastic mask (he had a seal holding several replacements tucked away in his cloak) up to the 'invalid's' face.

"Breathe it in deep," were the intoned instructions, "it'll help." He strapped the mask to the man's face.

The bandaged sword that leaned against the wall behind him growled.

Its owner spun around.

"Thank you."

And spun back once again. The invalid was breathing in deeply, his eyes closed. But he had spoken. The Kiri-nin was sure of it.

He stood up and started going about the room, packing up what little they owned into scrolls or pockets.

A small smile accompanied his work.

"You're welcome."

* * *

At dawn, the massive leaves of a peculiar Venus flytrap phased up like a ghost through the ground in the middle of an empty fisherman's shack.

The strange man, a separation of pure white and pure black split down the middle, peered out from between the two leaves, looking around the entire structure.

There was nothing to be seen, not a single hair or drop of blood. The place felt cold and musty, as though no life had entered the shack for decades.

The black half of the man growled. "**They got away again.**"

The white half 'hmm'ed'. "Seems so. Kisame's better than I thought."

"**Hmph.**"

And with that, the plant closed and sunk back into the ground, leaving ripples in the wooden floor until it was out of sight.

* * *

"An 'introduction to despair'?! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jiraiya threw his head back, not bothering to retain even an ounce of decorum as he bellowed endless rounds of laughter to a plain, whitewashed ceiling.

Tsunade put a hand to her mouth and turned away, ineffectively hiding her own bout of chuckles.

Naruto blushed. And flicked Sasuke on the ear when he started to giggle. The kitten did not understand, but watching Jiraiya's large body jerk on the bed in an uncontrolled laughing fit was funny to watch.

But then, perhaps Jiraiya and Sasuke were just a little bit stir crazy. After all, along with a Naruto who slept-as-though-dead, this pleasant, comfortable, but painfully _**boring**_ hospital room had been their home for the past few days.

Finally having something to smile and laugh about, well, no one could blame Jiraiya for writhing around his bed like a two year old being tickled.

"It's not funny Ero-sennin! If it wasn't for that weird feeling…"

Naruto trailed off, unable to finish that sentence. Tsunade sobered. Jiraiya's laughter died out into a few residual chuckles.

"And here I thought reading books had helped you. But jeez, if it makes you come up with lines like that, maybe you should stay outta the library kiddo."

Naruto huffed, not dignifying that with a response. Or simply not being able to think of one.

Though, he was relieved to see his master smile again. After seeing him with _**that**_ face, Naruto had forgotten what Jiraiya's smile looked like.

* * *

"Naruto? Naruto, are you okay?"

"Yeah…yeah Sasuke…" A pair of slitted pupils looked at him. Sasuke did not flinch. He had grown up around stranger looking eyes.

Struggling to rise from his knees, Naruto looked back at his army of two thousand plus clones, all of them making Rasengans.

"This…is for Ero-sennin. It's gotta be big enough…to…" Naruto slumped to his elbows, and a few clones popped out of existence.

"Naruto!"

"I'm fine. I'm –"

Sasuke cut him off with a yell as he toppled over. Gamakawa was jerked off his path, pulled violently by an unknown force. The clones yelled as they lost their balance. Naruto said nothing, just flung himself forward and held on to Sasuke as the frog lurched wildly, slamming him and his clones into the walls of its unbelievably massive stomach.

Gamakawa eventually lost the fight; all the Narutos were flung to the frog's hindquarters as the amphibian's outer body was yanked, at incredible speeds, into the mouth of a toad that looked more like a whimsically designed water bottle than something alive.

Seconds after they finally stopped, and Naruto slid from the ceiling to the floor – or in the reverse direction, he couldn't tell – a massive force plunged into the centre of the frog's stomach chamber. Naruto felt half of his chakra return to him, as under the force of the blow, he and Sasuke flew out of the stomach, up the oesophagus and landed in a slimy heap on the intestines of yet another toad.

The first thing Naruto heard, besides Sasuke's very loud 'blech!' as the slime seeped into his fur, was hissing. Kind of like snakes; small, angry, snakes.

He looked up. They were surrounded by a dark sea of hissing liquid.

_Acid?_

Naruto looked down. There was a corpse with orange hair mere inches from his hand. He jerked back, startled –

"Naruto, what…?"

– and turned Sasuke's face so he wouldn't see. Sasuke was a ninja baby yes, but still a baby.

"What…?"

And then, he felt it. A thick fog of absolutely _**murderous**_ chakra, oozing from a source right behind him.

Naruto had felt that murderous intent before, but usually it was aimed at his enemies.

Well. Did he really expect any different?

Yes, a little actually. He had expected Jiraiya to be angry, but this was on another level. A downright terrifying level.

Every muscle in his body tightened; he was unable to move but ready to flee, leaving his body in a painful tension.

The chakra fog grew thicker, like a syrup whose dense bitterness Naruto could almost taste. Like glue, or gum, it seemed to pull him, turning him around on the balls of his feet until he was face to face with his sensei.

Cold sweat broke out all over Naruto's body. Sasuke took one look, squeaked, and buried his face back into Naruto's jacket.

Jiraiya was _**livid**_. His eyes were wide, the pupils constricted. His hair was spread out, like the mane of a lion ready to pounce, the spikes quivering slightly, barely holding themselves back from firing.

Naruto, for the first time, saw a fat vein throbbing beneath his sensei's bangs. His large mouth, one that had smiled and laughed so many times, was now a rigid line adorning an iron jaw.

Naruto could hardly imagine what a smile on _**that**_ mouth looked like.

Slowly, Jiraiya raised his hand.

Out of some strange reflex, Naruto glanced at his other arm, and promptly swallowed back a bit of bile that rose in his throat.

The Sage, with that dark, palpable aura radiating off him in _**waves**_, pointed straight at the back of Sasuke's head. The kitten flinched, feeling it as much as a tangible poke.

"What. Is. He. Doing. Here." It was a statement that demanded an answer, and promised something very near to death if that answer was lacking.

Naruto swallowed and scooted back just an inch.

"E-Ero-sennin, y-your arm –"

"_**Naruto**_!"

Naruto could not begin to describe the barely controlled _**rage**_ he heard in that shout – all he knew was that moments later, his left arm was exposed to show ten distinct claw marks.

"He did it again – followed me…" A new wave of anger told him that answer was insufficient. "I tried to get him out, but the frog (he gestured to the blue creature sprawled and out cold on the 'floor' beside him) wouldn't let us get out and then we were in the water and…"

Still not enough. Naruto recognised the trap too late. The Sage never wanted an answer, and would have never accepted one.

There was no excuse.

And Naruto agreed wholeheartedly.

Jiraiya stretched out his hand, his entire body leaning forward. Naruto was going to get knocked out so hard his grandchildren would have headaches. He accepted this. For letting Sasuke come here, this is what he –

"He's my family!" Jiraiya froze. Naruto's mouth fell open a little. Sasuke turned in his arms, trembling but looking Jiraiya in the eye. "I followed him because he's my family. He said he won't leave me alone. But then he was gonna leave and I…I knew he was going to a bad place."

The kitten clenched his fists, calling up strength from only he knew where. "If he's going to a bad place, I wanna go too! My first family is dead! I don't wanna be left behind again! I'm never gonna let my family die again! I…" whether he was blushing, or his cheeks were flushed with emotion, none of the four there could tell.

"Nawuto's the same as me," he said after a pause. "You're his family. So he'll follow you to a bad place because…because… Nawuto really, really loves you! So…so…" And then he started crying.

Naruto and Jiraiya stared at the kitten. Then at each other. Then sighed, and thought simultaneously:

_Musta got too much for the little guy._

Grandma toad was sniffling. Grandpa toad just looked uncomfortable.

Naruto put Sasuke on his shoulder, patting his back softly as he wailed. "There, there. It's gonna be okay. Ero-sennin's not gonna kill me anymore, look."

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched. But the dark aura and demon-like countenance was gone. At most he looked greatly annoyed, and could still possibly knock Naruto out at any time, but for the most part, he was back to normal.

Except for his missing arm.

* * *

Jiraiya was still angry that Naruto had followed him, but he admitted (with Tsunade's merciless assistance) that it was partly his fault. He did leave the kid stranded in toad country, and really, what did he expect when he sent Gamaken back looking like that?

He shook his head, ended his chuckles with a few coughs, and gave Naruto a somewhat serious expression.

"Well, while you've had a nice little nap for the past two days, I had to endure listening to toads complain from dawn till midnight. If you're going to be a Sage, you've got to treat your Summons better, Naruto."

"I didn't –"

"You threatened Gamakichi and Gamatatsu's homes. They're not going to come when you call for at least five Summonings."

"But –"

"Then you almost cut off Gamaken-san's tongue. Now he needs even more time to recuperate. Not to mention he's the Gama brothers' uncle, so that's ten _**more**_ times they won't answer when you call."

"That wasn't me who –"

"And the pièce de résistance, you _**traumatized**_ Gamakawa. The poor frog's sitting on some lily pad somewhere muttering about evil kittens and blond, blue-eyed demons. He has a wife and six tadpoles for mercy's sake!"

"I'll go visit –"

"He's _**terrified**_ of you."

"I'll send him some flies! Big ones! I'll go catch some right now!" He made to get off the bed, but his world spun and he collapsed back onto the pillows.

Sasuke nuzzled his face, purring softly in concern.

"You're still sick. Stay in bed." With authority, he thumped Naruto on the head with his tail.

Tsunade covered her smirk with her hand again. Jiraiya just smiled.

"Well, it's not so bad. Baa-san says he's just taking a while to recover from the effects of the genjutsu she put on him."

"The one to make him use that Frog Cannon thing?" said Naruto, sitting up again and remembering how the frog had floated in mid-air, firing out Shadow Clones in a great cascade of orange. "That was awesome. That thing made our whole strategy."

And it worked a lot better than when he tried it with a certain yellow, snack-loving summon.

"He could store all one thousand of your clones in his stomach and spit them out as quickly as needed. And his body acts as a barrier like Gamahyō –"

"You mean that toad with the cork in its mouth that looks like a toy?"

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched. Seemed he was doing that a lot these days. Maybe it was all this time he was spending with his becoming-less-than-favourite student.

"Yes, Naruto. Him. So Gamakawa's body acted as a barrier so Pain could not sense any of us coming before it was too late. That's the only reason I was able to get so close with my _**Chōōdama Rasengan.**_ The Frog Cannon was perfect. It's a technique all frogs and toads on that mountain could use, but only he and his brother brought it up to that level."

Jiraiya looked up and was surprised to see Naruto sulking.

"I coulda done more than one thousand clones. I mighta got a hit on that guy. And then we woulda ended the fight right there."

"That's naïve thinking Naruto," said Jiraiya, his voice stone. Naruto's pout only grew worse. "I cut you down to five hundred to make up for the two Rasenshuriken. Five. Hundred. You _**insisted**_ on a thousand, and ended up sleeping for two days. What did you want? A week-long coma?"

Naruto was full-on scowling now, the sides of his mouth pulled down long. Ironically, he was doing a perfect Kabuki imitation, but Jiraiya did not tell him this.

It was too funny to spoil it.

"Besides, we couldn't beat Pain then, even if we did have more than a thousand."

"Because the real guy's somewhere else," said Naruto with dull anger. "_**Coward**_."

"There could be any number of reasons why he could not fight himself, why he would rely on… (he glanced at Sasuke) … Anyway, say what you want about him, he did not fight like a coward."

"Why're you defending him?"

"I'm not. I just don't want you to underestimate him. He will be coming after you again, and if you think of him the way he was when Konan took him, you will die."

"I know. I know…"

Jiraiya noticed his disheartened look and leaned back against his bed post.

"Well, I suppose one thousand was the right number in the end. Your clones gave me more than enough time to figure out Pain's techniques and confirm his identity. Though I'm still not sure about that one with long hair."

Naruto brightened.

"If Konan wasn't there, or if she wasn't going to be fighting fresh, we really could've won. But…" Jiraiya quickly cut Naruto off before his eyes brightened too much, "…we didn't stand a chance against her back there. We both needed serious medical attention, and all of the damage from my scrimmage with her was probably negated by then. If she had chosen to fight, she would've killed us."

"Why didn't she choose to fight, then? Get revenge for Pain?"

Something in Jiraiya's eyes shimmered at the question. "Because of Yahiko. Yahiko is still the most important thing in the world to them."

"But he's…"

"Yes. He's dead. But with Nagato's power, a piece of him is preserved. They'd do anything to preserve it as long as they could."

"But he's still…he can't…"

"Think of it like this. He's their Sasuke." Something in Naruto's body stopped working and grew cold. In that grey moment, before his moral senses returned to him, he suddenly, frightfully, _**understood**_ them.

_She didn't get revenge because Pain was more important. Someone like that is in Akatsuki…_

Itachi's name suddenly resonated in his mind; he almost physically shook his head to rid himself of it.

Instead, he gathered fistfuls of his painfully white bedsheets, steeling himself to say what had been nagging him since two days ago in Amegakure.

"Ero-sennin. When Pain was telling me his plan…" Naruto swallowed. His hand absently stroked Sasuke's ears. The kitten watched him, his tail mindlessly curling.

"I understood why you couldn't leave. Why you were willing to stay there and die to find out his secrets. I – I thought the same thing. I had to stop him. I had to do everything I could. Even though I was going to lose. Even though it meant…"

Sasuke tilted his head, wondering why Naruto was tearing up. He was surprised when Naruto gathered him in his arms and hugged him close, burying his face in his hair.

"Sasuke. I'm so sorry. If Ero-sennin hadn't held me back, I would've gone after Konan and… and left you all alone. I'm an idiot, so I can't promise that I won't be reckless like that again. But I'll try really, _**really**_ hard not to be. So please, _**please**_ forgive me."

"Okay."

Naruto pulled back, staring at the kitten. It was that simple?

The question was so obvious on his face that Sasuke giggled. Then, oddly, he squirmed with a troubled look, as though silently debating with himself. He glanced shyly at Naruto and beckoned him closer.

Naruto lowered his face. Sasuke brought his up.

The tips of their noses touched.

It was…warm. Was this chakra? Naruto never felt chakra so warm. It was flowing freely from Sasuke, and Naruto soon realised that it was coming from him too. He had never given off such chakra before, warm and soft and…

"Naruto." Sasuke was staring right into his eyes. His so fat cheeks were light pink, but his voice was steady.

"I love you."

Naruto's eyes grew wide.

It was not that he had never felt loved. Though it happened later in his life than it should, he knew now that he had friends like Sakura and family like Ero-sennin who loved him.

But this was the first time anyone ever said it to his face. He did not know what to do. How did someone usually react when told that they were loved?

Sakura always hit him. He did not think that was the appropriate response here.

Before he could begin to figure it out, the little voice that told him precious words with ease said, "I'll always forgive you. Even if you are an idiot."

And with another thump on the head from Sasuke's tail, the moment ended. Sasuke drew back, an embarrassed but happy grin on his face.

Naruto stayed where he was, trying to do one of three things: understand what just happened, cling to whatever little warmth remained from the brief … contact … and simply get some sort of anchor back to earth so he could descend from the cloud he was currently floating on.

He could not decide. But he did find a response to those words. It grew on his face, mirroring and exceeding Sasuke's embarrassment and joy…

A smile bright enough to shadow the sun.

'_How do I even say anything at this point?'_ This unspoken question came from the only woman in the room, who was rather touched, a bit embarrassed, and altogether irritated. _'I still have questions.'_

She sighed. Subtlety was never her strong point.

Tsunade cleared her throat.

The three other occupants in the room turned to look at her, having forgotten she was there. A vein grew in her forehead; she knew full well that they had forgotten.

"Well, I have a question."

After all, Jiraiya had refused to tell her any details about his – and Naruto's – battle with the _**leader of Akatsuki**_ outside of the bare minimum, insisting that it wait until Naruto woke up.

Well, he did tell her everything he knew about Pain's abilities and his identity. The autopsies on those corpses, as well as the intel they pulled from the Ame-nin yielded invaluable results.

It was the only reason she acquiesced to her old friend to wait for Naruto.

At her brief statement, Jiraiya blinked, looking halfway between nervous and grateful. Naruto's smile lessened by a fraction, but was still blinding.

Sasuke tilted his head, hoping that she was not going to give him another check-up. He'd been given more check-ups in the past two days than his Kaa-san had ever taken him to for his whole life.

"Naruto's chakra was indeed exhausted when you hauled his carcass back here."

"Yup," Jiraiya replied, ignoring the indignant huff from Naruto.

"But from my examinations, something's not adding up. Naruto, you used one thousand clones in your assault, yes?"

"Yes."

"And two Rasenshuriken."

"Yes."

"And all of your clones were wielding Rasengan?"

"Yes."

"I see. So you used _**it**_, didn't you?"

Jiraiya answered that. "Yes and no."

"How is it both? As Hokage I need to –"

"Calm down Tsuande," Jiraiya waved his hand. "No need to go waving around status. We'll explain everything."

"What's 'it'?" Sasuke asked, looking up at Naruto. He had been following the conversation as best he could, and from the little he could understand, 'it' had something to do with Naruto. And 'it' was not a good thing.

Before Naruto could think up a response, Tsunade walked up to their bed.

"Sasuke-chan," she called. Sasuke pouted. Naruto almost collapsed from shock.

Who was that who had just spoken? That lovely, sweet, gentle voice came from _**her**_ mouth, but that was a lie. A blatant lie.

"Sasuke-chan, it's time for another check-up."

"Another one?" Sasuke almost-whined as Naruto looked around wildly for the hidden ventriloquist. "I don't like those. They always make me sleepy."

_That's the point, Uchiha. I finished your real check-up a minute after you were put into my arms. Having you sleep just… well, it was __**supposed**__ to make things easier._

_Honestly. You were __**sleeping**__ when I brought you to Inoichi and your appearance still almost gave him a heart attack. When I asked him to do a Mind Probe on you, the man flipped:_

'_No no no no no – h-he's much too young, Tsunade-sama! N-not even my daughter using the bare minimum of her chakra would be able to avoid hurting him. Even worse if he's already suppressing memories. His mind is already under strain, if we put any more on it by intruding and having him resist us…'_

'_But what if I put him to sleep like this…?'_

'_No good. His mind will still resist even if he was in a coma. It's a natural reaction; even the most trained ninja cannot suppress it. I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but I cannot trust myself or anyone else in my clan with this. He needs to be at least five years older before I'd even consider it.'_

It really was a terrible disappointment, though she did not blame Inoichi in the least. She was glad her subordinate had the courage to disappoint her, instead of going ahead with her commands and doing irreversible damage to Sasuke's mind.

Naruto would have never forgiven her. She would have taken even longer to forgive herself.

But still. Damn it. A Mind Probe would have answered nearly everything; they would have, at the least, found out what happened to Sasuke, or indeed _**how**_ it happened. It was beyond frustrating to see her last hope crushed, since her medical ninjutsu – for the first time since the Second Shinobi World War, since _**Dan**_ – had failed her.

Well, she shouldn't say failed. Rather the results her tests gave her were, quite frankly, incomprehensible.

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya's call, like many of his others, went completely unheard.

If she actually took in everything her tests said at face value, actually _**believed**_ what her results were telling her, then she would have to revisit the way she looked at the entire ninja world.

They were that shocking.

"Tsunade."

Was there some sort of clan out there really capable of this? Some sort of jutsu, or frightful Kekkei Genkai? Why were they hiding all this time? With power like this…

If Akatsuki got to them first…

"Tsunade…"

How had Sasuke even found them?

"Tsunade!"

Perhaps they were hiding because this power had a fatal drawback. 'Use it and die' rules.

But then, if the consequences were that steep for its use, why would they use it on Sasuke?

Or rather, what had Sasuke done to make them – whoever it was – resort to this?

"_**Tsunade**_!"

"Huh?" She snapped out of her reverie and looked down to see Sasuke staring wide-eyed at her. From his expression, he was worried for her mental health.

"Oh, sorry there kiddo. I was just thinking a little. Now what was I doing?"

Sasuke seized his chance. "You were going to go yell at Shizune-san for hiding your sake…"

"Wrong," Tsunade snapped. _Observant little brat._ "You were getting a check-up. Now come here."

Reluctantly, Sasuke left Naruto's arms and crawled over to Tsunade, who picked him up and held him against her bountiful chest.

She ignored the usual stab of unabashed longing and jealousy that came from the opposite side of the room.

As she held a glowing green finger to Sasuke's forehead, the kitten's eyes drooped and soon he was fast asleep. Instead of giving him back to Naruto, however, she held onto him, petting his soft hair.

This did not escape either of the males in the room, though it meant different things to each of them.

For one, it was only proof of something he already knew; that despite all she said and did, there was some part of his lifelong friend that had truly been left unfulfilled.

For the other, it was proof that shapeshifting aliens existed.

"So." Naruto sighed in relief. Jiraiya only sighed. The Hokage had returned. "Tell me how you used the Kyūbi's chakra."

* * *

"You're insane, Jiraiya-chan."

"It will work."

"Ya don't know that kiddo."

"Please trust me, Ma'am. It worked before."

"Ya call that workin'?!"

"I told you. The Kyūbi's chakra had manifested. Naruto was about to be taken over by it, but I only _**mentioned**_ Sasuke and he suppressed it. Naruto has _**never**_ been able to return from that point by himself before. That's why I'm sure this will work."

"Ero-sennin… I …" Naruto looked down at Sasuke, who was sleeping soundly under the effects of Grandma toad's genjutsu lullaby. Sasuke was still a child of Konoha, therefore discussions about the Kyūbi were still prohibited in front of him.

Naruto smiled and stroked his ear. The kitten purred softly in his sleep. "Ero-sennin…"

"Naruto. Back in Konoha, you did something that three years of training couldn't do. You suppressed the Kyūbi's chakra _**on you own**_. Not to get stronger, but to protect Sasuke." Jiraiya straightened, making to fold his arms when he realised that he was one short. So instead, he rested his remaining arm across his lap.

"'_I won't let the Kyūbi's chakra hurt him._' That single thought was enough to rein in a partially formed Fox Cloak. That's _**power**_. Power from the overwhelming love you have for Sasuke as a brother."

Naruto blushed slightly, not wanting his bond with Sasuke to be described in such a… _**direct**_ way.

"That power should let you control it. You just have to draw out its chakra while using that strength to separate the hateful will."

"I don't get it," said Naruto honestly.

"The Kyūbi's chakra is not hatred," he held up his lone hand to stop Naruto's protest. "Just as you are not the Kyūbi, the Kyūbi's chakra is not its hatred. They're intertwined, but they are two separate entities."

Naruto nodded, his eyes a little brighter. Jiraiya suppressed a smile; his student was always happy to hear people make that distinction.

"You've always had amazing healing power right? That comes from the Fox's chakra. I've told you before, but the Fourth's seal is incomplete – it lets a little of the Fox's chakra leak into yours. So tell me Naruto, whenever you're healed, do you feel any of the Kyūbi's hatred?"

"No."

"Right. The Kyūbi uses _**only**_ its chakra to heal you. That proves that its will and chakra can be separated. I made a mistake in your training, thinking that you had to forcefully push back the Kyūbi's hate in order to use its chakra, like forcing a door shut against a tidal wave. But that idea is wrong... no, it's flawed. It's so obvious now, if you actually _**do**_ shut that door, how do you expect to collect any water, much less use it? The slightest distinction... no wonder I missed it..."

He lowered his gaze and chuckled. Naruto blinked, the silent question as to the man's sanity unanswered.

"Uh, Ero-sennin, I still don't know what you're talking about."

"The Kyūbi's chakra and will are linked. From what I saw, your will to protect Sasuke is strong enough to overcome the Kyūbi's hatred. But if your goal is _**controlling**_ the chakra, then it's a flawed way to do things. Draw out the chakra, the will follows. Suppress the will, lose the chakra. It's a false paradox engineered by that fox and it's been messing us up all this time. But it's so simple. If the Kyūbi can separate its pure chakra from its hate, I don't see why you can't do the same."

Naruto's seal grew warm, but the blond was too excited to pay attention to it.

"_**C**__**omplete separation**_. That's our goal."

A savage smile stretched over Jiraiya's face and he leaned in. Naruto's eyes widened.

"You'll draw out the Kyūbi's chakra and use your will to _**filter**_ the hate. If it works, you'll have the distilled chakra of a Tailed Beast at your disposal."

"A filter... how will that work?"

"The Kyūbi's chakra is the tidal wave, but instead of your will being a door that shuts it out, it will be a filter: a filter strong enough to withstand the chakra's force, and fine enough to trap the impurities of the Kyūbi's hatred."

When he said it like that, it made sense. But Naruto still lacked confidence.

"I don't know if I can summon up that will just like that. Are you gonna say a bunch of mean stuff to me again and get me riled up like last time?"

The Sage winced at the memory.

"Ah, no. And I am sorry about that, Naruto. But it's not necessary, since you brought him along."

He pointed to the kitten, whose ears twitched as though he could sense the sudden attention. He curled up to Naruto, his face scrunched up in a little frown. Grandma toad cooed at the cute gesture, and glared when Grandpa toad rolled his eyes.

Jiraiya looked around at the warm, shimmering walls of the toad's stomach.

"Even with the time distortion in this dimension, we don't have much longer before Pain gets impatient. I don't want to think about what he'll do to this lake once that happens.

"So, I'll have to force your body and mind to learn the technique."

"How?" Naruto squirmed, rightly uncomfortable.

"You're going to call out the Fox's chakra while holding Sasuke in your arms." Naruto's face went bloodless. "If even a drop of the Kyūbi's hatred is present, you will manifest the Fox Cloak. With him that close to you, you know what will happen to him, don't you?"

Naruto nodded furiously. He knew. If the Fox got a hold of him, Sasuke would be burned by its chakra in the best case. In the worst, and most likely scenario, Naruto would lose control and Sasuke would get hurt. Badly.

An image appeared, unwanted from his mind, of Sakura flying through the air, blood flying from her arm.

Naruto swallowed something foul that started rising in his throat.

"Good," said Jiraiya without sympathy. Coddling Naruto was not going to help them here. For that reason, he did not let the blond see him pass small pieces of paper to each toad. These suppression seals were a safety net he could not afford Naruto knowing about.

"Pain's identity: this is the only way we can get that information and survive. You **will** guard your heart against the Kyūbi's hate, and you **will** filter the chakra. There's no other option for you."

Naruto nodded again, holding Sasuke closer. He closed his eyes, preparing himself.

"Naruto," he called the name solemnly, "I wouldn't put Sasuke in danger like this if I didn't _**know**_ you could do it. I told you before. You can learn to control the Kyūbi's chakra. This is only the first step."

With those words echoing in his ears, Naruto took a breath, and pulled.

* * *

Tsunade stared at Jiraiya in as close a look to horror as Naruto had ever seen.

"You're insane," she whispered, unconsciously holding Sasuke closer to her bosom.

Jiraiya responded with a slowly spreading grin.

"It _**worked**_," he enunciated. Tsunade blinked. She opened her mouth.

"It's not permanent," Jiraiya quickly affirmed. "Right now, I'd bet the return of Gamakawa's sanity that his chakra's back to normal." Naruto winced at his sensei's choice of words.

Jiraiya continued speaking to Tsunade, but his eyes were on his student. A stern gaze. "It's also barely usable. Though he was able to manage something out of it, he still ended up using most of his energy to suppress the Kyūbi's will. Which is why he was half-dead when I brought him back here."

The fact that his master said this without of a hint of exaggeration made Naruto feel rather cold.

"It's a great technique, but with flawed execution it dangerously exhausts his chakra. Well, in that kind of situation, I guess I shouldn't complain but…"

Jiraiya's eyes suddenly sparkled. A small, almost awestruck smile played around his mouth.

"But it _**worked**_. I couldn't believe it."

"What?! But Ero-sennin you said –!"

"Yes. I know. And all of it is true. I do believe in you. It's just…to actually _**see**_ that it worked…" Jiraiya's eyes alighted on the sleeping Sasuke. He smiled almost wistfully. "I didn't think we would actually get somewhere before your Sage training was done. (_Or that I would still be here to see you grow_) But now we have something we can work with. Your first step."

"Right. So what do I do?"

"Practice. Just do the same thing you did back in Amegakure once a day and improve the filter. We'll see what happens from there."

"Excuse me." Tsunade finally stepped in, holding Sasuke even closer now. "And what will happen if he does lose control?"

"Well I'll be supervising him obviously," Jiraiya was defensive, and a bit hurt that she thought him _**that**_ careless.

"Having Naruto use the Kyūbi's chakra was our only hope. We needed the Rasenshuriken back there, and the only way to let Naruto use it without risk was to try something crazy."

Tsunade quieted; she knew he was right. "Now that we have a first step, we have to expand on it. Don't worry about it. Nothing will happen to your precious baby, Tsunade."

The red-faced Hokage hugged her kitten close, "H-he's not my – Jiraiya watch your tongue!"

Tsunade was stuttering? Oh great, the shapeshifting aliens were back.

Jiraiya threw back his head and laughed. He looked at Naruto deviously. "Alright Tsunade, you want something more convincing? Pain's eyes, Nagato's Rinnegan was tricked."

"What…?"

"I watched him. The moment Naruto's assault started, my eyes were on him. He never realised that the Kyūbi's chakra was in use."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "That's…"

"Impossible? I thought so too. I thought that he would know no matter what. The tainted rage of that chakra would be impossible for the Sage's dōjutsu to miss. So why didn't he recognise what Naruto was doing?"

"There was no hatred," Tsunade whispered in awe. Naruto blushed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes," Jiraiya was positively beaming. "It was his first time, the execution was poor, and he wasted more than half of his energy. But, in the _**sliver**_ of the Kyūbi's chakra he managed to use, there was not a single drop of hatred. Looking at chakra without an ounce of the Kyūbi's will, even a god would make the mistake.

"Do you see now? This thing is real. If he keeps practicing…"

"I see… And in addition to his Sage Mode training…" Her eyes widened in awe at the image before her.

"Right?" Jiraiya grinned. "Now you're seeing what I see, Tsunade."

When Tsunade turned to look at him, Naruto could swear he saw the tiniest shimmer of fear in her eyes. But it was swiftly replaced by a very Jiraiya-esque grin.

"Well I'll be damned Uzumaki. I've got to start betting on you more often."

"Aw, thanks Baa – wait."

Jiraiya laughed again, Tsunade smirked while stroking the spot between Sasuke's ears. Naruto looked like he could not decide between being insulted or praised.

He settled for a neutral look between the two that only made him look very sleepy.

That was not an issue. He _**was**_ very sleepy. He had slept for two days, and his chakra was still only halfway up to standard. That was probably the fault of his abnormally large chakra reserves; bigger container, more time to fill it up.

The adults in the room noticed. And were partially grateful that their conversations were so busy that Naruto did not have time to ask any –

"Baa-chan. You were doing check-ups on Sasuke while I was sleeping, right?" Tsunade's face, as blank as she tried to make it, must have betrayed something because Naruto blinked, waking himself up a bit. "Sasuke complained."

"Oh."

"The check-ups were tests, right? Tests on Sasuke." His drowsy eyes searched her face for any sign of consternation. "What'd you find out?"

A pregnant pause filled the room. Naruto waited, blinking slowly, on the verge of sleep but not stepping any closer. A few seconds passed.

"How can we change him back, Baa-chan?"

Jiraiya was impressed. Tsunade, in keeping with her moniker as Legendary Sucker, had a terrible poker face. Most times it would be better if she did not try, rather than the painfully _**obvious**_ attempts she did make.

However, her expression now was a damn good one, one of the best Jiraiya had ever seen.

"Sleep, Naruto. I'll tell you everything personally when you wake up again."

Naruto stared. Tsunade stared back, the tiniest bead of sweat growing on her left temple.

Naruto blinked. Nodded very loosely, making his head look like it would slip off his neck in one smooth motion. He held out his arms for Tsunade.

At first the woman froze, then noticed where Naruto's eyes were looking. She sighed, scolded herself for her stupidity, walked up to the bed and handed over Sasuke.

Naruto cradled the kitten in his arms, nodded to himself this time, closed his eyes, and freefell back onto his pillows, fast asleep before his head hit the down.

Tsunade exhaled. Pulled up the blankets around the two. Silently looked at Jiraiya, who shrugged and reached for the notepad and pencil he had been writing with earlier.

"How can he be so calm about this?"

Jiraiya looked up at her, a question in his gaze. With a frustrated gesture of her hand, she elaborated.

"His supposedly best friend is now a baby cat-human! And yet Naruto just seems so _**comfortable**_ with it."

The confusion she was met with surprised her.

"You think so?"

"He's better than Inoichi at least! And at least that man talked. Ibiki just stared. _**Stared**_! And I think nothing short of an invasion on Konoha would have got that man to blink."

Jiraiya chuckled. "I did the same thing actually," he admitted.

He was ignored. "Even I'm still having trouble…adjusting. But Naruto is just so _**calm**_ about it!"

"Really. That's how it looks huh? I'd say Naruto is still the most disturbed about this than anyone."

"How do you see that?" she genuinely wanted to know.

"Well at first, Sasuke's appearance shocked Naruto so much that he actually went looking for answers in the _**library**_. He didn't even know Konoha _**had**_ a library. And he _**studied**_. For an _**entire day**_."

"That's how he deals with shock?" Tsunade deadpanned.

"Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja," Jiraiya shrugged, his eyes wandering back to his notepad. "Even now, the way he's always holding Sasuke and talking to Sasuke and staring at Sasuke… he's still trying to come to terms with what Sasuke has become.

"He can look calm now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's panicked a few times since he first saw Sasuke like this. '_What if Sasuke stays like this forever? How will I take care of him now?_' That's the kind of stuff he's probably been thinking about. He's worried. And scared. Everything's just been moving so fast, he hasn't had time to show it."

Tsunade could not help but stare at Naruto's master.

"Jiraiya…that was…" Tsunade trailed off. Her eyes grew wide. Jiraiya smirked, his eyes roving the contents of his notebook.

"Take care of him?"

"Yup."

"Care for. Him."

"Yup."

"You told him –"

"Yup."

"You _**foolish**_ –"

"Who else, Tsunade? Who else does Sasuke have to go to? Who else does Sasuke _**want**_ to go to?"

Tsunade acknowledged that. If she was being honest, even Kakashi was barely a better option when it came to childcare.

But she still had her doubts. "Naruto's not fit to raise anyone. He's barely raised himself."

Jiraiya's face turned to flint. "What the hell does that mean?"

Tsunade met his look head-on. She'd faced worse. "That means I want to know if he can handle all of Sasuke's baggage. Sasuke has amnesia, and as unethical as this may sound, he might be better off without his memories. Surely Naruto has at least thought of that."

Jiraiya nodded his assent to the half-question. "So then why would he tell Sasuke about his clan?! If this is Sasuke's chance at a fresh start, why open _**that**_ can of worms?"

"Because Sasuke's happiness can never be based on a lie. No matter how horrible the truth, Sasuke would not wish to stroll happily down a false path. Naruto understands that better than anyone."

"But surely he could have been spared that pain."

"For how long? The kitten has amnesia, Tsunade, but he's not stupid. He's probably been hounding Naruto about his family ever since they first met."

"How do you –"

"Because for these past two days he's done the same to me." Tsunade grew silent as stone. She had to hear this. Jiraiya took a deep breath.

"'Do you know who killed my clan?' 'Why is the district all busted up?' 'Do you know where my Nii-chan is?' Whenever he wasn't sleeping from a 'check-up' or worrying over Naruto, he'd always ask me those three things. He thinks I'm lying. I'm not. I told him I do know, but I'm not the one to tell him these things."

Tsunade's lips parted in silent astonishment. "So Naruto's been…"

"Handling Sasuke's baggage from day one. And I'd say he's doing a pretty damn good job. Better than anyone else could do, that's for sure." Jiraiya sighed, tapping a spot on his notepad with his pencil, his eyes not seeing the book at all.

"It was inevitable that Sasuke find out about his clan. So it should be inevitable that he be consumed with anger and hatred." He looked up at Tsunade, a low fire burning in his eyes.

"But he's _**not**_. The Sasuke we both knew when he was in Konoha never smiled, never laughed, never accepted anyone as family, and never had anyone to love, or rather, anyone he was willing to love.

"This Sasuke cannot even be compared to the first. And I'd bet my life that it's all because of Naruto. Whatever Naruto said to him, whatever Naruto did for him after he took him to that cemetery; it has already changed Sasuke's fate.

"This Sasuke won't be obsessed with gaining the power to kill his older brother. This Sasuke won't cut all his bonds to pursue polluted strength. As far as Naruto is concerned, he already failed once to bring his friend out of the darkness. This time will be different. _**He will not fail again**_."

Tsunade was silent. At the look Jiraiya fixed on her, her shoulders stiffened. His eyes were _**burning**_.

"If you still think that Naruto is _**unfit**_ to care for Sasuke, that that kitten would be better off in the hands of 'childcare professionals' or some other such bull, then you are free to think so. And if you want the messy task of trying to separate them then be my guest. Just know one thing."

And here, The Great Toad Sage Jiraiya, Lord of Mount Myōboku and the Wild Beast of the Legendary Sannin spoke with a voice that could shake a mountain, and eyes that could evaporate a sea.

"Know that _**I**_ will be the one to stop you before Naruto even knows you're a threat."

_**That**_ was the voice of the man who had once _**promised**_ to kill her if she ever betrayed Konoha.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face.

In the next instant, _**that**_ man was gone, replaced by the familiar old oaf and his goofy grin. Tsunade's shoulders imperceptibly (to anyone but her childhood friend) relaxed.

"Besides, the dumb kid won't be alone. He'll have you, me and all his friends to help him. Once they get over the whole cat-human thing."

Instead of laughing, she looked at the two. Sasuke, who was so small that he lay perfectly comfortably on the side of Naruto's face and neck, slept with one fat cheek squished against the blonde's. Tsunade had only been very briefly acquainted with the Uchiha, but she doubted that he normally looked so peaceful even when he slept.

She sighed in defeat. _It'll be all right for now_. She surrendered with a subtle smile.

Jiraiya, all traces of anger gone, returned to his notepad and started scribbling.

Tsunade glanced at him. She would be a fool to think that he would not make good on his threat (_**promise**_) in a mere moment's notice.

But for now, he was so engrossed in his notes that she could easily be fooled into thinking he had completely forgotten about it.

Judging by his look of concentration, Jiraiya was writing notes about Naruto's new abilities, plans for Sage Training, or the rough draft of a new Icha Icha.

If it was the third option, Tsunade would hit him. There was a _**child**_ in the room for crying out loud!

She walked swiftly to his side and looked. Diagrams showing what roughly looked like Naruto being surrounded by wispy curls of _**something**_.

And next to it, several drawings of some sort of shiny liquid falling in a waterfall and gathering in a small pool. The drawings had been crossed out and redrawn numerous times, as though Jiraiya could not decide whether the pool of 'something' should be included or not.

She glanced at him with a quirked brow. He returned the look with a quirked brow of his own.

She scowled. He smiled.

She raised a fist.

The smile was killed.

She sighed. Gave him a small smile and turned to leave, missing the subtle flip of the notebook's page to content she would half kill him for.

But someone had to keep the stream of quality erotica flowing. If not him, then who?

"Jiraiya."

_Damn I'm gonna die._

"I can't fix him." Her back was to him. Whatever she wanted to say, they were not things she could admit to his face. Maybe others. But not him, who knew the full extent of what she was capable of.

It was too shameful.

"Everything I tried failed. I tried lifting his amnesia, but the trauma he's suppressing makes his mind so fragile! – his consciousness would almost shatter no matter how gentle I was. His transformation is completely beyond me – physically, genetically, chronologically, it's so perfect I can almost believe the Fountain of Youth is real! I can't reverse it, even when I use the power of the Creation Rebirth."

"You went that far?" Jiraiya's gasp went ignored.

He did not need her confirmation anyway: he had seen her do it before.

It was a simple concept. Chakra, the basis of ninjutsu, was a mixture of physical and spiritual energy. If one used a technique that restored the physical body to perfection, it would naturally have an effect on one's ninjutsu: medical ninjutsu being no exception.

Still, Jiraiya had only ever seen her release the seal to perform a healing once – she only did so when she was backed into a corner and had nothing else left to her but a shameless power-up.

And it did not work. She continued to lament in a blunt tone, her back turned to her oldest remaining friend.

"I literally did everything I could and it was worthless. Everywhere is a dead end and there's nothing I can do. There's nothing Konoha can do. I failed."

She could feel his eyes on her back, taking in her stiffened shoulders and rigid neck.

"Why are you telling me?"

"Naruto's counting on me to fix him. But I can't."

There was silence for a moment, then, "So what?"

"What is he going to do? At this rate, he'll be taking care of Sasuke until… until he's the age he should be now. His life just got a whole lot more complicated because I'm incompetent."

Jiraiya's eyes widened_. _

'_So all of this is one long-winded apology. Man, she really is clumsy.'_

"Tsunade," he said her name warmly, with a mild smile. "He'll deal." Her shoulders flinched, a gesture of surprise, before finally relaxing.

"I see." She folded her arms under her breasts and said with defiant air, "Well, I hope you know that I'll hold you responsible if he doesn't. You made the promise as his master."

"That goes without saying," Jiraiya was still smirking. She could tell, he was silently laughing at her clumsiness.

"Hmph!" she grunted and headed for the door. With her hand on the knob, she looked back at the Sage with one last question on her lips, and her brow slightly furrowed in concern.

"Jiraiya. Sasuke still calls _**him**_ Nii-chan?"

Jiraiya blinked. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

"Seems that's the one truth Naruto could not bring himself to tell Sasuke about. I don't know why though. I'll ask him about it later."

Tsunade left it at that with nod, opened the door and made to step through when she froze. There were goosebumps on her skin. She slowly turned back to Jiraiya, who stared at her with a frozen expression and fingers turned white on his notepad.

He looked like he was anticipating his death. Strange, Tsunade did not think she was threatening him in any way.

She simply felt that something – bad – was coming her way at a frightful speed, and wanted to verify if Jiraiya felt the same.

Judging by his innocently clueless expression, which gave her the strange urge to punch him for barely justified reasons, he did not.

Impossible. They were both Kage-level shinobi. No one who was a Kage-level shinobi had failed to develop a vague and inexplicable sixth sense for danger.

Unless this was a danger to which she was personally attuned.

Hmm, that could be it. However, that was also a problem. She was the Hokage. Therefore she was personally attuned with all of Konoha.

But then, so was Jiraiya. All he was missing was the official title, after all.

No, she was getting side-tracked. The problem could not be all of Konoha. This thing that was coming was personally attuned to her on a much deeper level.

What could it be then?

Shizune? No. Shizune was more frantic energy, always bursting in with a problem or notice, or scolding her for one thing or another, or squealing like Tonton whenever Tsunade lost her temper.

It was not Shizune.

That only left one other person.

At that moment, the Hospital Entrance doors banged open. Tsunade was on the fifth floor, and not only could she hear the bang, she could feel the shockwaves from when the doors hit the walls.

She could also hear said walls crumbling.

Her eyes met Jiraiya's. A single glance at the sleeping duo was all the signal he needed for him to leap from his bed, hoist them over his shoulder and leap out the window.

It would be a lie if she said that seeing him do all that with one arm and his hair did not impress her.

Though he was a bit slow, but that was to be expected.

Not a second after his departure, a whirlstorm of wild pink hair and dirty, torn red fabric appeared at the end of the hallway.

Near crazed and bloodshot green eyes stared at Tsunade for a moment, before a finger whose tip was poking out of a ripped glove pointed at the open door to her left.

"There," she said ominously, like a creature just woken up from the grave, "Naruto and Sasuke-kun."

She looked _**terrible**_. Twigs and leaves (was that a caterpillar?!) were sticking out of a dull, tangled, absolute _**mess**_ of pink hair. Her clothes were irreparably ripped, her bare arms and legs covered in innumerable scratches; the kind one received by barrelling through the wilderness and not caring who or what stood in your way.

Sakura took a step forward, wobbling horribly. Tsunade could make the diagnosis without even touching her.

_**Extreme**_ chakra exhaustion. Tsunade estimated she had run out of her own natural chakra about six hours ago, after which she had abused soldier pills and the effects of her own adrenaline.

No sleep for at least thirty two hours. On the brink of dehydration, definitely malnourished. Shaking in the arms and legs, extreme muscle fatigue probably compounded with a severe case of hypoglycaemia.

What was this girl thinking?

"Naruto." She took another shaky step. "Sasuke-kun."

_That's all she's been thinking about. Damn, I shouldn't have sent that last notice about Naruto's fight with Pain._

"They're fine," Tsuande reassured her, taking a step forward. "They're both sleeping but just fine."

Sakura stood as still as she could – the muscle tremors were out of her control.

"They're here?"

"Yes."

"Sasuke-kun's…really here?"

"Yes."

She resumed her stumbling walk forward. "I want to see them."

"They're sleeping." Tsunade repeated. There was no way she could let Sakura see Sasuke in the state she was in. The girl's shock alone would've been manageable, but like this – she might very well have a seizure.

"I want to see them."

"Sakura they're –"

"I want to see them."

"_**Sakura!**_" Her apprentice stopped, staring with wide eyes at her master. "I cannot let you see them right now. Listen, I'll tell you everything, okay? In fact, all the shinobi in Sasuke's age group need to hear what I have to say. So come with me and let's get you cleaned up –"

"Tsunade-shishou."

"Yes, Sakura."

"Get out of my way." She charged. Her fist was cocked back, powered with artificially (and _**dangerously**_) generated chakra. Tsunade gritted her teeth, ready to knock her out with one swift uppercut.

At the last second, however, Sakura turned so sharply her shoes squeaked and ran her fist through the wall of the room Jiraiya, Naruto and Sasuke had occupied a mere minute earlier.

She stared in utter shock at the empty room before her. Her eyes swiftly scanned the area. Wrinkled bedsheets, a visible depression in the mattress left over from two days of sleep in the same position.

They had been here.

As quick as a blade through air, her eyes dashed up towards the open window and fluttering curtains.

_Found you._

She stepped forward.

A single chop was delivered to the back of her head with frightening precision.

She fell unconscious before she could even think up a good swear.

* * *

**A/N: I hope my 'filter' idea is plausible and simple enough to understand. It went through many rewrites before I got it as 'right' as I could. Off course it's inspired by Naruto's big boss fight with Kurama - just on a somewhat tamer level.**

**Fun Fact: I don't like cats. I don't hate them, I just never really liked them. I'm a dog-person to my bones. Yes. I've only just realised the irony. **


	10. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Hey guys. Just a quick notice. If you've read my profile this would seem repetitive, but just remember that these chapters are still just old ones I'm polishing up. I wrote a lot before publishing anything, so I've got a store of finished chapters that just need some sprucing up before they're put out there. When I start writing chapters 'fresh' again, I'll let you guys know with a notice like this one. **_

_**That's that. On with the story.**_

* * *

**Chapter 9 **

Sai leaped through the treetops, scraping off bark from the strong boughs that supported him as he ran towards his home village as quickly as he could.

He was fast. At sixteen he was already an Anbu for the greater part of four years, so he should have easily outpaced a chūnin of the same age.

This chūnin, however, was trained by one of the Legendary Sannin, and had kept ten minutes ahead of her entire group for most of their two and a half day sprint back to Konoha.

Sai smiled. This, he realised, was the power of bonds. Her bonds were stronger, and so she outpaced him.

But wait. Sai glanced at Hinata. He had observed her, or more accurately her rage towards Danzō. Her bonds with Naruto were just as strong. Her killing intent was sublime. Then, why was she behind?

Was something other than bonds powering the chūnin he had come to call friend? That was not good. If this was a physical effort, then the abuse of some sort of chakra enhancement like soldier pills was probably the cause.

No, not good at all. He knew from personal experience.

He started pulling ahead, now greatly concerned for his comrade. The artefacts taken from the battle site, as well as Danzō's corpse, slowed Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato, so they brought up the rear.

As Sai increased the distance between them, Team Eight was slowly pushed from front (Sakura was too far ahead to be counted) to middle position.

It was only a day ago that Sai figured out that Sakura's excessive attention towards him during the mission was her way of trying to help him: she had thought that, under Danzō's stony eye, he was reverting to his Root training.

He wanted to tell her that she had been wrong, but she had gained her ten minute distance by then.

What made Sai's eyes dull and his face blank was not some lingering loyalty or fear towards Danzō, but rather the suppression of an insurmountable anger that _**begged**_ to be unleashed upon the man.

After hearing what he had done, the only thing that ran through Sai's mind was How. _**Dare**_. He.

Did Danzō know _**nothing**_ about bonds? No. If he created a training regimen to eradicate them, he had to know _**something**_.

He knew. He just disregarded them. Threw them away like garbage, trampled them into the dust. Treated them as if they were _**worthless**_.

This made Sai angry. But if he had shown even the slightest amount of anger, Danzō would have known, and the following… dispute… would have hindered the mission.

And that mission had to be a success. For Naruto's sake, if nothing else.

He had seen the bonds between the original Team Seven for himself, and in the process regained his own bond with his brother. He recognised that they were precious things. If Danzō could not see that, then he was not fit to be Sai's master, leader, or comrade.

And when his anger grew too hot, whenever he was on the verge of verbally striking out against the man who had destroyed Naruto's chance at rebuilding his most precious bond, Sakura always reined him in, thinking that he was reverting to an emotionless tool.

Somehow that made him even more angry, but extremely grateful.

He reached the village first (second) and immediately hit the rooftops, heading straight for the hospital. He knew that was either where Sakura went, or where she was carried after collapsing.

As he flew, a bird met him in mid-air.

Not a real bird, but a girl with long black hair wearing a bird mask. She was a member of Anbu Root. Sai tried to remember her name, but could not. She had never gone on a mission, therefore she had never received a name.

"Sai-sama. Is it true? Is Danzō-sama dead?" She was young, about a year or so younger than Sai, but that and her gender were the only two things her voice gave away. Monotone and flat, she asked about the death of her master with the same emotionless drone as she would the colour of the sky. Her voice had been stripped of all identity, just like Sai's had once been.

In response to her question, Sai opened his mouth, sticking out his tongue as far as he could. She leaned forward very slightly – too much would be too revealing of her anxiety – and looked.

There was silence on the rooftop for a few moments. Then, pinching the edges of her cloak, the girl's arms trembled as short breaths shook her frame.

"Sai." It was Kiba. He looked uncomfortably at the quietly crying girl. "You okay?"

"Yes. Please go on without me. I have (he glanced at the girl) other matters to see to."

"Gotcha man," Kiba nodded and leaped back to the rest of the team, who were walking solemnly in the main street, carrying Danzō's corpse between them in a stretcher as was proper procedure.

Sai quickly shielded the view of the street from the girl. He was not sure, but strongly felt that if she saw her master's corpse, she might end up in the hospital as well.

As he desperately tried to remember how he had referred to her, for she was one of the few Root members he was actually acquainted with, she reached into her pocket and unrolled a scroll with a complex seal on it.

As she made the signs to activate the seal, Sai finally remembered how he had once referred to her.

It was not a name. Was that why her title refused to climb out of his throat? It seemed that his body refused to address her in Danzō's cold way.

Instead, an on-the-spot nickname took its place and lightened his mind.

Kashikoi Tori: The Bird who Manipulated the Cage.

She was a master of seals, one who would have surpassed Danzō had she been trained another year. Her ability was on the level of one with a Kekkai Genkai; she could seal just about anything, or anyone, in a mere moment and release them just as quickly.

She was one of Anbu Root's Dark Horses – a member who never left the cradle of roots, never went on a mission. One who most other Root members did not even know about.

Sai only knew about her because, as one of Danzō's most highly prized subordinates, he had trained with her a few times to master his own sealing technique – unfortunately to no avail.

They had gotten along well though. Well, as 'well' as two emotionally stunted people could get along anyway.

Kashikoi Tori, Tori for short, pressed her hand to the seal. The circle and script spiralling outwards glowed an angry red for a moment, before disappearing in a flash.

"I've told the other members at Headquarters." She tried to maintain her blankness, but her voice was wetter and trembling. Sai was secretly glad for this. He had learned from his new friends that speaking emotionlessly did not make one seem stronger, and was simply unpleasant to most listeners.

"So, it really is true. Then, now I am free to speak." Sai was immediately alert. "Sai-sama, I am glad that you returned alive at least. If I had to choose between the two of you –" She quickly shook her head before she went any further.

"You share a… bond with the Jinchūriki, correct?"

"Yes."

She nodded and clenched her fist, gathering courage. "Then, I have something to show you, Sai-sama. It is something myself and the other Dark Horses of Root were making preparations for upon Danzō-sama's return. Follow me."

Sai did so at once. He followed her down into the very bowels of Root headquarters, and then further down still, into areas that were restricted even for him.

She knew the encryptions and secret seals for every door and every trap made to protect those doors. The moment they had left the part of the headquarters that Sai was familiar with, was the moment they stopped using keys.

She was truly an elite member. If Danzō was Hokage, Sai would liken her to one of the Elders, except that this one would have never gotten a say in any of Danzō's decisions. Not like Danzō had gotten that and then some with Tsunade.

The hypocrisy made Sai swallow back a thick wave of anger. Such strong feelings were still new to him, and feeling them for the first time while trying not to show them in front of an acquaintance was hard. He wished Sakura or Naruto were here to tell him how to hide such boiling emotions.

"We're here."

Sai looked. It was a metal door as plain and unremarkable as any other in Root. He reached out a hand –

"Don't touch it!"

– and froze. Maybe it was the fact that this was her first time expressing emotion since she completed her training to eradicate them, but the _**fear**_ in her voice convinced Sai that a fate worse than death awaited him if he touched that door.

"Sai-sama. If I make a mistake, this door will glow. It will be your only warning. As soon as you see a change, run from here as fast as you can."

_She didn't tell me not to bother with saving her_, Sai thought. _Not because she wants to be saved, but because she thinks that I would not even think of such a thing._

The admittance that, only a few months ago, he would not have thought about her life made Sai sad. Or was this disappointment in oneself? Was it regret? More anger?

Sai cut into his palm with his fingernails to dispel the confusing train of thought. He had to focus on preparing to escape with Tori, if it was needed. His right arm had received first aid treatment on site, but he still could not move it around too much.

He reached back into his pouch, long since adjusted to be more accessible to his left hand, and pulled out his ink scroll.

Tori slowly brought her hands together in the first seal. The door remained unchanged. From that moment, Tori's hands were blurs; making ten-long seal sequences in less than half a second.

So this door was not only encrypted with the correct sequence, but timed too. If one did not do it fast enough…

Sai slowly pulled out his brush and dipped it, his eyes glaring at the door, his pupils consciously dilating, looking for the slightest illumination.

Tori clapped her hands together. The final seal. The silence was so heavy that Sai thought it might weigh him down, should he and Tori still need to flee.

A lock clicked. A tiny breath, a sigh of relief, escaped from Tori. Sai smiled and put away his ink scroll.

Tori opened the door and, holding up a hand to Sai, stepped towards the room, careful not to cross the threshold. She looked around the cold blackness for a few seconds and nodded, signalling it was safe to enter.

The door closed behind them. The room, as big as an amphitheatre, was immediately lighted with over a hundred green fluorescent chakra bulbs and torches.

Sai stared, taking everything in.

This time, there was no way he could hold his emotions back.

The bird mask stared, as tears began to flow down Sai's face.

Every inch of the room was covered in sealing script, the smell of chakra-infused ink overpowering even for him. The only spaces in the seals were six circles, four along the leftmost wall and two in front of them. In the middle of those two stood a small stage, also covered in seals, with a circle left clear for the person to stand there.

This person was most likely to be Danzō.

Directly in front of the stage, fifteen feet away were eight chains, attached to the room's eight corners. They lay along the ground, meeting in front of the stage in a perfect crisscrossing pattern. The chains were thick, four had shackles attached to the end of them, and all were inscribed with seals.

Tori spoke, describing the purpose of this room and what Danzō meant to do.

Sai could see it all play out before him like a hellish performance.

The six Dark Horses standing in the circles, surrounded by pillars of chakra as they powered the seals. Danzō standing on that stage with arms outstretched, ready to receive the power that, in his own twisted mind, rightfully belonged to him. And hanging in the centre of the room, bound in those chains, writhing and screaming in unimaginable pain as the seal in his stomach opened and the Kyūbi was pulled out, was Naruto.

Naruto who, after the ceremony was complete and the shackles were released, would fall to the ground dead.

Dead at the feet of Konoha's new Jinchūriki.

"Tori." The girl flinched. The word held different energy to normal words, and seemed directed right at her being.

This was what was called a name. _**Her**_ name.

Sai was not angry with her – she had only been following Danzō's orders. A few months ago, he would have been the same, seeing the Jinchūriki – seeing _**Naruto**_ – as just another necessary sacrifice for Danzō to obtain greatness.

Such a low and meaningless existence he had lived.

But not anymore. His precious friends had helped him escape that fate. He would help Tori the same way.

From this day on, she was Root no more. Sai swore it on his own blood.

He took her hand. She gasped but did not pull away. "Tori. Can you leave this room open?"

"No. The door must be closed when anyone enters or leaves."

"Then I will need you to come with me. We're going to go get the Hokage and bring her here."

The look on his face was terrifying, not because it expressed one strong emotion as Tori had read about (such as cases of great sorrow or hatred), but because everything conflicted with the other.

Furious eyes spilled tears of great sorrow, which ran over lips curved in a gentle smile.

Tori could not look away from that face, even if Danzō rose from the dead and ordered her so. She could only nod and let herself be led by the hand, out of Naruto's never-to-be death chamber.

* * *

Nothing could take her away from a patient in need, and even less could rip her away from tending to someone she cared for.

Tsunade Senju had lived by that code for most of her career as a medic-nin. It was why Kakashi had to brief her about their, for lack of a better term, utter failure of a mission in a hospital room, while she tended to an unconscious Sakura.

When Sai burst into the room, hand-in-hand with an Anbu she had never seen before, wearing a chilling patchwork of emotions on his face and telling of a secret room in Root with ties to the Kyūbi, her long-held code was finally broken.

Tsunade left Sakura to Shizune and followed him immediately, with Kakashi close behind. They were joined by Jiraiya along the way, whose senses for these kinds of things seemed to have doubled since his encounter with Pain.

In the Exorcism Room, which Tsunade would now forever call it, despite whatever its proper name was, Kakashi was the first to break the weighted silence that followed Sai's explanation of the room's purpose.

"It all makes sense now. I _**knew**_ he had an ulterior motive, and this room with that arm of his only confirms it."

"Explain."

"Yes. We retrieved Danzō's right arm from the remnants of a large tree found at the battle site. According to Sakura's description, the rest of the tree was probably eaten away by Danzō's final jutsu. However, even though the tree's main body and roots were destroyed, it resisted any of our attempts to penetrate it, and only responded to Yamato's Mokuton."

"That means…"

"Yes. The tree was also a result of the Mokuton, or more accurately, the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Danzō's arm reacted to Yamato in the same way. He said it felt familiar, like part of his own flesh."

Tsunade's fists clenched. "Orochimaru," she hissed. "I knew he had kept ties when the Third was alive, but to think it was to this extent."

"Actually, there's more…"

Tsunade stiffened at the rare hesitation she heard coming from Kakashi.

The jōnin lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan, and in a warp of memory she was standing in the middle of a storm, facing a desperate blond who shouted something that, at the time, truly made her question his sanity. Many good shinobi have had something snap at being denied missions that were personal. And that blankness…

But now she knew it was no invention. The next words that filled the chamber were a repeat of Naruto's very own:

"Danzō has a Sharingan under those bandages on his face. And he has ten more in his right arm."

Sai pressed his lips together, pushing back a disturbed gasp. Kakashi's mismatched eyes grew wide. "How did you –?"

"It's true," Tsunade intervened with clenched teeth. "Isn't it?"

Kakashi nodded dumbly. "I looked at the arm with my Sharingan and saw a few residual streams of Uchiha chakra. Although a few of them were damaged, we were able to open the ones that were merely closed."

Kakashi swallowed the heavy disgust that had lodged in his throat and was beginning to seep into his words.

"It's as you said, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade slowly bowed her head. If she did not, the rage in her expression might have alarmed Tori, and for now, she wanted the girl on her side as much as possible. If Danzō let her in on something that even Sai did not know about, it spoke volumes about her status in Root.

"I suspect the eyes on his arm were for battle purposes," Kakashi continued, his tone neutral but his words flowing quickly. "Since some of them were closed permanently, he probably used them for forbidden techniques."

"Like what?"

"Well…" something in Kakashi's eyes dulled; with a brief wince Tsunade knew she had stumbled into 'that' territory. "An old friend told me about it long ago."

He paused a moment before quietly clearing his throat. He continued, though the dullness in his eyes remained. "It's called Izanagi and it's a forbidden dōjutsu of the Uchiha clan. Whenever it is used, a Sharingan loses its light."

"Permanent blindness then."

"Yes. Unlike the normal uses of the eye to cast genjutsu into reality, this technique can turn reality into a genjutsu. In other words, it can reverse the effects of any situation and change the outcome. For example, if a person were to get an arm cut off in battle, use of the Izanagi will restore the person to their whole state, as though the amputation was only a dream."

"That's unbelievable," Tsunade whispered, biting a nail. "So then, Kakashi, can you…?"

"Yes, if I ever needed to. But it's only good for one shot. The light of one eye per use; the price is too steep to be used effectively in battle, unless very special circumstances prevailed. However, with the way Danzō was set up…"

"Ten Sharingan…"

"Ten reversals. It's enough to give even the lowliest genin overwhelming odds against a Kage."

"Yet Itachi still beat him."

"The fatal blow came from a stab wound through Danzō's heart. Judging from the wound, the blade remained lodged in until his final moments. According to Sakura's description, and the fact that we could find no sign of the blade on the site, I believe that Danzō's last jutsu was (he looked around the seal-scripted room with unhidden loathing) a sealing technique."

Tori gasped. Everyone in the room turned to her. She stepped back a little, her muscles tensed in obvious distrust.

"Tori." Her muscles relaxed like a flicked switch. Sai was smiling at her, and still holding her hand. "Go on. Tell them."

"I refuse. I will not betray Danzō-sama," for the depths of her loyalty, her voice was as grey as stone.

And Sai's was just as cold. "Danzō is dead."

"Does loyalty die with death, Sai-sama?"

"No. I only meant that his seal can't do anything anymore. I do not know if this is… normal… but I made an oath with myself. I swore on my own life that you would be free from Root."

The masked girl grew still, impacted by Sai's words.

"Since you are free, you do not owe Danzō anything. The Hokage is your master now."

A small gasp from the emotionless girl echoed through the chamber. In a quiet voice with a barely existent trace of curiosity, she asked, "Is the Hokage your master, Sai-sama?"

"Yes, she is."

The fingers of the hand not holding Sai's curled slightly. The bird mask nodded slowly. "Very well then. I will speak."

_Master, huh._ Not very accurate language but Tsunade understood that, with how she was raised, this was the best way to get her to understand.

Though it was terribly sad.

"It was probably the Reverse Four Symbols Seal," Tori began uncertainly, sidling a little closer to Sai. "It's a seal that can only activate when the one using it is…" she shuddered. Sai squeezed her hand. "The one who's using it has to be at the point of death. The seal extends for a wide range and pulls anything and anyone within that range into the caster's corpse. Danzō-sama… was fatally wounded and resorted to that… to…"

She shook again, tiny gasps escaping her as she cried.

No emotion. No weakness. The act of crying was scorned by the laws of shinobi, but here, it was sacrilege. She must know this. And yet she cried. Committing this sin was easy to her – easier than it was to any other member in Root.

After all, she had already committed the greatest sin of caring for her mentor, parent and master a long time ago.

A soft-hearted, emotional crybaby whose personality was so strong that part of it survived, no matter how Danzō tried to kill it.

She was a rare gem. But at the moment, her appeal was faded in Sai's eyes. No, more like it was blocked with Sai's new concern of getting her to stop. After all, he had never seen someone cry, so how could he know how to stop it?

Finally, Sai raised his hand awkwardly and gave her a single pat on the head. It was too hard and came across as more of a brisk tap.

Tori's head snapped up, her crying shut off like a slammed door. She bowed forward an inch to the adults staring at them.

"I apologize," she said in a perfect monotone. "That was inappropriate."

_Danzō you bastard. What the hell have you done to these kids?_

"Tori, take off your mask."

The girl stiffened and backed up a few steps, pulling Sai's arm a little. "I – I truly am sorry Hokage-sama…"

"I'm not punishing you," said Tsunade, something in her voice just a little bit stricken, "I just want to see your face. Take off your mask."

Sai nodded at her, his smile back in place. At least it was better than his 'comfort'.

Tori removed her mask, revealing a very plain face with dark, half-moon eyes. Except for the areas that were reddened or marred with tear tracks, her skin was a sickly pale hue from lack of sunlight.

Tsunade smiled. "Nice to finally see you, Tori."

The reddened areas darkened as Tori averted her eyes and answered with a silent nod.

Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Tori, about that Reverse Four Symbols Seal, does it have any relation to the Four Symbols Seal?"

Tori nodded, glancing to Sai for approval once again before continuing, "The Four Symbols Seal was the inspiration for Danzō-sama's seal. They're exact opposites of one another."

"What are you talking about?" Tsunade turned to her friend.

"Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal is made up of two interlocking Four Symbols Seals. Danzō did his homework; he probably had the exact same seal ready for the transfer of the Kyūbi." He turned to Tori. "Could you tell us exactly what Danzō was planning to do here?"

The girl swallowed and, clutching Sai's hand with jaw set in determination, she began.

"Danzō-sama was rather proud of this plan. I, too, thought it was foolproof, but it seems we've underestimated the Uchiha. They're very…durable."

She stopped there and put a tentative hand to her throat.

_She still fears the Curse Seal even though she's been talking freely all this time,_ Tsunade noted. _If she's that scared, then we can believe what she'll tell us next._

"Before Sai-sama gave me my new name, I was previously called 'Seal' by Danzō-sama. That was my purpose. I alone was responsible for the maintenance of all the seals used in Root Headquarters, and on Root members. I supervised and maintained the strength of the Curse Seals. Danzō-sama even trusted me enough to let me check the seals he placed on his own body from time to time.

"Naturally, I was in charge of the sealing process for this (her jaw worked as she searched for a word)… project. I was supposed to interlock four Four Symbols Seals instead of two, which in theory would have worked as a distiller to separate the Kyūbi's chakra and its will, allowing Danzō to freely use and manipulate the beast's chakra right after becoming its Jinchūriki."

_A seals master? Her?_ Tsunade was stunned, though she hid it as she fired a quick question at Jiraiya.

"Is a Sixteen Trigrams Seal possible?"

"I suppose it could be, though if it wasn't used on Naruto, I imagine it carries some terrible risk."

"Yes. The seal is very hard to complete, even in perfect conditions. It is the ultimately perfect seal in creating a Jinchūriki, but if the performance of it is off by the slightest fraction, both sealer and potential Jinchūriki will be overcome by the seal's power and die. The seals on the offering stage were to protect Danzō-sama from such a backlash. If I failed, I would not take anyone else with me. Someone else would then perform an Eight Trigrams Seal. It would have been a great shame to me if Danzō-sama had to settle for second best because of my ineptitude… but I think my failure was likely."

"Not likely," said Jiraiya gravely. "Definitely. The Fourth Hokage is the one who performed the Eight Trigrams Seal. If he didn't go for more than that…"

Tori nodded in agreement. "I still would have tried. If there was even a chance for Danzō-sama to obtain the ultimate, I wanted to help him."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. Tori, feeling his contempt, shrunk back.

"I was the same," Sai said, his lips thinned. "Naruto was nothing more to me than a stepping stone to Danzō's greatness. But I realise now that I was wrong and I regret my former way of thinking. I think Tori is capable of regrets as well."

Tori blushed slightly. Jiraiya's eyes softened.

Sai, noticing this, smiled. "Go on with your story," he encouraged.

She turned to Tsunade this time, who met her blank gaze. "Danzō-sama knew you would pursue Itachi Uchiha eventually. He planned to be the one to go on that mission, while the Jinchūriki –"

"Naruto," Sai gently reprimanded.

Tori blushed again and tried to push out the name. Her head moved forward and back as she struggled, mimicking her namesake.

"Naruto," she finally shoved it out of her throat like an errant chicken bone. "While Naruto stayed in the village. We prepared paralysis seals around Naruto's apartment: when Danzō-sama had defeated Itachi Uchiha, he would send a message to us and we would activate the seals. Then we would take Naruto here and prepare him for the ritual."

"Why did Danzō need to defeat Itachi?" Tsunade asked, struggling to keep her voice as emotionless as Tori effortlessly made hers.

Little did she know that the young girl, as she spoke, was also puzzling over the fact that saying Naruto's name made describing what she and her fellow Dark Horses had been planning to do to him much more difficult.

And the way Sai was squeezing her hand only made her feel strange, as though she was hurting him in some way.

She realised that she did not like the feeling of hurting him. She concluded then that she did not want to hurt him. Ever.

So she voiced this emotion, and refused to speak any more. Until Sai squeezed her hand again and urged her on with a gentle smile.

"He wanted Itachi Uchiha's eyes, or more accurately, his Tsukuyomi. He would implant them within himself, and with them would take control of the Kyūbi. It would make the extraction process much smoother."

When she was met with a heavy silence, she looked to Sai. He gave her a nod, but did not seem able to smile anymore.

Strange. And…discomfiting. She had grown to like Sai's smile, and wanted to see more of it.

"There's one last thing. I do not fully understand this particular secret, but Danzō-sama seemed the most… attached to it. It was something about Six Paths Chakra."

Sai looked quizzical, but the adults looked horrified. And they were doing so well hiding their emotions a moment ago.

Again. Strange.

"I will try to repeat what he said as best I can."

For her, that was absolute verbatim. It had to be. She was a Dark Horse: with what she knew, Danzō only ever issued her spoken orders in person. And he never repeated himself. The last time she had forgotten one of his orders had been five years ago, and the punishment – guised as standard procedure to ensure she was not an imposter – left her nearer to death than her own forced birth and subsequent incubation.

Though she did not know that. And with Danzō's death, she never would.

"'With Senju and Uchiha chakra already moulded together inside me, it is only a matter of time. Shisui's eye is powerful, but it is not developed enough. Itachi's eyes have lived longer, seen more, they are the ones I need now. Hashirama's cells have made my body strong enough to contain the Nine Tailed Fox, and when I become a Jinchūriki in complete control of the demon's chakra, I will have everything I need. That monstrous chakra will act as the catalyst between the Six Paths Chakra and Itachi's eyes, transforming them into the world's most powerful dōjutsu. When I have _**those**_ eyes, I will denounce Tsunade, obliterate Akatsuki, and rule over not just Konoha but all the Shinobi nations. The time of bureaucracies and truces are at an end: this is what we need, a new era with only one ruler. When _**my**_ era comes to be, only then will Konoha be truly safe. Only then will we have true peace.'"

When she finished, Sai was the first one to speak. "I do not fully understand myself, but that does not sound good."

"I must admit it did not sound so good to me either."

The brisk clacking of heels startled them both: Tsunade was walking to one of the seal-scripted walls, her hands clenched into fists.

When she brought her fist back, Tori spoke for the first time without Sai's approval.

"Hokage-sama, don't –!"

The fist slammed into the wall with the force of a hundred elephants. The room shook, but the wall did not suffer even a scratch.

Instead, the ink scribed onto its unmarred surface snaked off, wrapped around her fist and arm and burned into her flesh.

"Wait, don't fight it!" Tori rushed forward, letting go of Sai's hand so she could perform the seals as she ran. She touched both palms to Tsunade's arm and the seals retreated to their original stations.

"This room was prepared to hold a thrashing Kyūbi in case the worst happened," Tori explained. "It cannot be destroyed or even dented by brute force."

Then, realising that she had just shouted, _**touched**_ the Hokage without permission, and likewise spoke soon after, the girl froze, her eyes wide and petrified and her mouth open with strangled starts of sounds jumping out every few seconds.

Sai was the one running this time; he held her hand and she started breathing again.

"That was good, Tori," he reassured her. "That was very good."

"Yes," Tsunade agreed, meeting her eyes as she healed her arm. "That was very good. Thank you for the information, Tori."

A nervous glance to Sai. "You're welcome, Hokage-sama."

She smiled at her warmly then turned sternly to Kakashi. "Take Sai and Tori and see what you can do about those seals around Naruto's apartment."

"S-Sai-sama…?"

"It's all right. This is a mission, Tori. Your first mission from the Hokage."

When the three left, the door slamming shut immediately behind them, Tsunade turned to Jiraiya, still nursing her burnt arm.

"We're not telling Naruto about any of this."

Jiraiya's eyebrows rose, contrasting with the black rage in his eyes. Tsunade would have shuddered if she did not feel the same.

"Why not?"

He prepared the seals to open the door as he talked, only needing to see Tori perform them once. Tsunade fixed him with an unstable expression of sadness and anger, all bundled together within the purest _**loathing**_ of Danzō.

"What good will it do?"

* * *

"_This can't be real! You can't be my brother! Because…"_

"_I acted as the big brother you desired in order to measure your capacity." Sasuke flinched. New tears flowed to replace the ones that had grown cold on his face. _

'_No…you acted that way because you love me…you…'_

"_You will become the rival that I require in order to test my capacity. You have that potential." _

_His Sharingan widened slightly in suppressed excitement. Sasuke could sense his anticipation, twisting and swelling like a grotesque growth, grinning and rising out of the freshly spilled blood of his clan. _

"_You have been jealous of me, and you have hated me." _

'_No… Nii-chan… please…' _

"_You continuously aimed to surpass me. Because of that, I will allow you to live for my sake."_

'_Because of my potential? Is my potential so much greater than the rest of theirs?' _

'_No… This can't be real! Genjutsu! This has to be a genjutsu!'_

'_If it's not… if this is real… then kill me… please just –!'_

_Itachi's foot moved to the side, kicking up some dust. Sasuke flinched back. _

'_No. I don't wanna die!'_

_Itachi scowled. The derision on his face broke something inside of Sasuke._

"_Killing you as you are now would simply be a wasted effort." Itachi turned his back. _

'_Where are you going?! After all this, you think you can just…?!'_

"_Foolish little brother… If you wish to kill me, then hate me, detest me, and live a long, unsightly life. Run and keep running… Cling to your pitiful life. And one day, when you have the same eyes as I, come before me!"_

"After the massacre, that transcript was all they were able to get out of Sasuke with hypnosis."

Jiraiya took another sip of tea. He swallowed and released a great sigh.

Two more days had passed since Naruto's first awakening, making it four days total since he and Jiraiya faced off against Pain and miraculously came away with only one missing limb between them.

The two days passed peacefully. The only noteworthy occurrences were the sealing of Danzō's exorcism room, and Naruto's training with the Kyūbi's chakra.

The latter was going splendidly. Since the technique was not ninjutsu, it did no damage to Naruto's slowly healing chakra reserves (the only ailment even the Kyūbi could not help with). If anything was concerning, it would be how adept Naruto was at this technique. His filter's strength and selectiveness had grown exponentially, and he was now able to draw and hold the chakra with relative ease and duration.

It was still only a sliver of chakra, but that was easy to improve.

So their training passed without incident, until now.

The discussion began with a casual question. After the blond told him about his confusion concerning one of the most deadly, powerful and insane ninja the Leaf had ever produced, the Sannin pulled some strings to retrieve information that would set his student's head straight.

Judging by the pale, livid face and deathly quiet air that settled over the blond, it worked.

"There seems to be gap in it somewhere. Itachi probably said more things to Sasuke, but that information was blocked by powerful genjutsu seals. Like he is now, Sasuke was too young back then to try and break through them.

"By the time he was old enough, he probably would have run a Chidori through anyone who tried."

Jiraiya took another long sip. The violent crumpling of parchment cut the sip short.

"Oi, that's the only copy we have. The Third and Tsunade are the only ones who've seen it, and I only got special access to it as the Third's former student. Be careful –"

"Here." The scroll was shoved into his chest. Jiraiya scowled, set down his tea, and took it from the painful grip of his irate godson.

"I hope this clears up any confusion you had about Itachi." Naruto slid off the bed of his new hospital room (this one thankfully without a hole in the wall). He took his IV drip with him as he walked over to a small cradle on the opposite table.

"He said it himself. He was pretending all that time to be a loving brother to test Sasuke. It's sick. _**He's**_ sick."

Naruto scooped up the sleeping child from the cradle and held him close to his chest.

"If you still feel that the rules have to change, that you _**must**_ do something about Itachi, then keep training and grow strong so that if the time ever comes, you can complete Sasuke's justice for him."

Naruto pulled out the IV needle from his arm. Jiraiya only blinked. And picked up his tea again.

"At least put on a cloak. Or some shoes."

"Weather's warm. It's night. I'll be back before dawn. Cover for me."

"I'll try. But if Tsunade comes –"

Naruto was gone. Jiraiya blinked again then moved to sit over by the window facing the Hokage Mountain. His eyes strayed to the face of the Fourth. He sighed and took another draught of tea.

* * *

"Nawuto?"

"Oh, did I wake you up? Sorry 'bout that."

Sasuke did not mind. The small smile above him comforted him. He looked past it, to the starry sky above.

"Are we outside?" he asked, sitting up.

"Yeah. Look out there, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked. His jaw dropped even as his ears stood straight up.

"Wow!" he gasped at the sight of all of Konoha spread out below him, the vast expanse of lit up buildings twinkling like a bed of stars. A few shinobi leaped deftly across the rooftops, some going to missions, some returning, others going to see friends or lovers.

But even though it was night, shinobi were not the only ones moving. Vendors on the streets selling food and wares, people walking home from long days of work or missions, friends chatting, lovers darting into secret places, employers with short fuses yelling at incompetent employees…

Konoha was alive and thriving. Watching all of that life, living in their own worlds but moving together to make the whole and heart of the village; Sasuke could not describe the feeling.

He was entranced, his heart swimming with sentiment and familiarity, his nose taking in all the different scents of home, his ears hearing all the sounds.

It was magic.

A large, warm hand landed on his head. He looked up at Naruto with wide, glowing eyes.

"It's… it's so…"

"Yeah. It is."

The two watched Konoha in silence, watched as the village slowly went to sleep, as people filtered out of the streets into their homes, shopkeepers locked their doors, and the lights inside the buildings flicked off one by one.

Finally, when most of the village lay in darkness, save for a few stragglers (all of which were shinobi residences) and guard posts, Sasuke closed his eyes and whispered,

"Goodnight, Konoha."

The warm hand landed on his head again. "Wanna know what my dream is, Sasuke?"

"What?"

"I'm gonna become Hokage."

Sasuke turned back to look at him, his eyes huge. "Really? Why?"

Naruto smiled and patted the rock beside him. "Look where we are, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked around; the rock they were sitting on had spiky bumps sticking out, almost like…

He looked up and saw the stony chins and noses of two other faces.

"We're on Hokage Mountain!"

"Yeah. Right now we're sitting on the head of the Fourth Hokage," Naruto said with a mischievous grin. Sasuke leaned forward over Naruto's legs and looked into the dark fall.

"It's true! Wow, we're so high up…"

"Yeah. You can see the whole village from here. That's why I'm gonna become Hokage."

Naruto leaned forward, his eyes brimming with something that Sasuke could not describe. But it was gentle, warm, and fierce all at the same time.

"I always wanted to be Hokage. Ever since I was your age." Sasuke's ears stood up and twitched, his tail swaying slightly. Naruto chuckled. "I would run around in the streets shouting 'I'm gonna become Hokage! And then you're all gonna respect me! Believe it!'"

Sasuke laughed. Naruto, with his finger pointed out towards Konoha's protective walls, blushed slightly.

"Hey, quit laughing! I was only a kid back then!"

"But I'm a kid and even I wouldn't do that," Sasuke giggled. "Naruto you're weird!"

"Why you little…" Sasuke squealed as Naruto tickled him. The kitten fought back, leaping at Naruto's face and making him fall backwards. He sat on his chest in triumph, only to be trapped there by two strong arms.

Naruto rubbed both his ears; Sasuke nuzzled his chin, purring happily.

The stars twinkled silently overhead.

"At first," Naruto continued. Sasuke quieted, his tail absently rubbing one of Naruto's arms. "I wanted to be Hokage to make everyone in the village acknowledge me."

"Why?" Naruto smiled. Of course Sasuke would not understand something like that. He was acknowledged from the day he was born.

"Because of the Kyūbi. You see, I'm a Jinchūriki. That means I have this huge chakra monster sealed inside of me."

"There's a monster inside of you?" Sasuke whispered, trying but failing to imagine what that looked like.

He suddenly gasped. "That's the 'it' that pretty Nee-san was talking about!"

"Yeah," Naruto suppressed a smile at hearing Sasuke call her pretty. He really had to let the kid know about her true age.

"Is the Kyūbi where that warm chakra you pull out sometimes comes from?"

"Yup."

"That's a monster?" Sasuke asked quizzically.

"Yeah. The chakra's only warm like that because I make it so. If the Kyūbi had its way… well, it wouldn't be good."

"Why?"

"Because it's full of hate. It hates everyone, and if you ever felt its real chakra, you'd go mad."

Sasuke shuddered. "That's scary."

"Yeah, it is. That's why I'm learning to control it."

"Because you're the Kyūbi's jinchūriki?"

"Right. Long ago, the Kyūbi attacked the village, and to stop it, the Fourth Hokage gave his life to seal it inside of a new-born baby."

"And that was you?"

"Yeah. When the Kyūbi attacked, a lot of people died. So when people found out I was the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki, they ended up hating me for it. I was hated by the entire village. And I couldn't make any friends because everyone's parents would tell them to stay away from me."

"People are dumb." Naruto, in his surprise, sat up and looked at Sasuke. The kitten was scowling, though once again, his fat cheeks softened it into an adorable pout.

"If the Kyūbi wasn't put inside of you, everyone in the village would be dead. You saved everyone. You're a hero. People are dumb if they don't know that much. Also –"

"Sasuke?" The kitten was pulled into a tight hug. "If you say anything else, I'm gonna be so happy that I'll start crying. And there's some more stuff I wanna say. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Thanks." He sniffed, loudly, and rubbed his eyes before continuing. "So that was the first reason I wanted to be Hokage. But as I grew up, that changed. I wanted to protect those precious to me. And I wanted to protect the place where all my precious people lived."

He spread out his arms, encompassing the village settled silently below them. "I wanted – I _**want**_ to protect Konoha and everyone in it, and the peace of the entire village. So I'm gonna become Hokage. That's my dream."

Sasuke thought on that a little. He nodded. "Then I'm gonna become Hokage too."

"Huh?" A bat flew overhead, screeching inaudibly. "_**Huh?!**_ Wait, what?!"

"I wanna be Hokage."

"Why?!"

"All the stuff you said."

"Wha – Sasuke, hold on. Don't you have another dream?" _So you don't have to steal mine?_

"Yeah! I'm gonna find Nii-chan and we're gonna make a whole new clan together. And then I'll become Hokage!"

Sasuke looked up with a confident smirk, only to find Naruto's smile gone. Without a friend to accompany it, his own smile vanished.

"Naruto?"

"Sasuke." The solemnity in his voice unnerved him. Sasuke knew whatever Naruto had to say would not be good.

"Remember when I told you that Itachi did a really bad thing to you?"

_Oh no._

"Yeah."

Naruto took a deep breath. Now or never. "Well, Sasuke, Itachi's the one who…"

"Killed my clan. Right, Naruto?" Naruto grabbed up the kitten and held him so close that their noses were almost touching.

"Who told you?" a pair of angry blues bore into dark, waterlogged eyes. "_**Who**_?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head, the tears spilling over. "No one told me. I figured it out."

"_**How**_?"

"Why you looked so… _**wrong**_ when we were talking about Nii-chan in the cemetery. Like you were in pain…"

_You __**noticed**__?_

"Why the jii-chan with white hair didn't want to tell me. Why you lied to me and said you didn't know." Naruto's eyes grew huge. Sasuke smiled, but it was not a smile at all. It made the little kitten look broken. "You can't lie, Naruto. Your eyes look fake when you lie."

"Sasuke…"

His voice shrunk to a tremulous whisper. "Nii-chan's strong. He's strong enough to do it…"

"_**Sasuke**_." He brought the kitten closer. Their foreheads bumped together. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Waterlogged and broken, the kitten's voice was almost gone, "Because I hoped it wasn't true."

Naruto, falling back and holding Sasuke in a too-familiar position, let the kitten cry. Not even the best of ninja could fault him for it.

The night went on. Nearing midnight, Sasuke's cries softened to a stop.

"Why'd he do it?" the exhausted murmur questioned.

Naruto inhaled, the kitten rising on his chest. "To test his capacity." Sasuke was silent. "He said that he pretended to be a good, loving brother to measure you. He wanted you as a rival, so he let you live. So that he can test himself against you in the future."

"He said that himself?"

"Yes."

"Who'd he say it to?"

"I told you…that you have amnesia right? He said it to you."

Sasuke was shaking, his claws, as usual, digging through Naruto's thin hospital shirt and into his chest.

Naruto swallowed and closed his eyes, willing himself to ask this final question, _**praying**_ that he did not just ruin Sasuke's second chance at a happy life.

"Do you hate him?"

The silence stretched. Naruto's arms tightened around the kitten, unable to hold himself back any longer.

"Don't hate him," he begged with barely hidden desperation. "Please don't hate him."

"Don't…hate him?" Sasuke's voice was dead. Naruto's heart almost followed. "He killed my clan. He killed our parents. He left me all alone. You're telling me not to hate him?"

"Yes. I won't lie. You have every right to hate him. _**I **_hate him for what he's done to you. But I'm begging you, please don't hate him, Sasuke."

"Why shouldn't I hate him?"

Naruto almost told him his selfishness, 'Don't hate because it would break my heart.' But that was wrong. This was too important for Naruto to put his feelings first.

But his feelings were all he had. His heart broke open and spilled out all the words it's regretted never saying.

"Because you're strong. You're stronger than him, Sasuke. Hatred. Power. That's Itachi's way. But you're free. I'm your family – so you have nothing to avenge. You're free to live any way you want to. You don't have to give yourself to hatred because Itachi tells you to. You don't have to dive into the darkness for power because you're already strong. You don't have to be alone, or cut all your bonds I – I won't let you. If you try to do that I'll kick your ass. I mean it, I really will! Hating Itachi will damage you. Hurt you. Change you into a bastard you were never supposed to be. So live in the light, Sasuke. Screw your brother! He doesn't _**deserve**_ to have you as a rival! You're _**my**_ rival anyway, no one else's! So don't you _**dare**_ go to the darkness – you – you're – I _**know**_ you're _**stronger**_ than that!"

Out of breath, Naruto finally stopped. Silence was only cut by his ragged inhales, as his chest heaved out of control.

Sasuke lay there, breathing quietly in contrast, his claws raking lightly over the thin cloth covering Naruto's chest.

When his breathing calmed, and blood finally went to his brain, Naruto hated himself. What did he hope to do with all that babbling? All he did was confuse the kitten with unnecessary things.

He deserved to be called an idiot.

The silence grew stifling, but Naruto's shame still could not bring him to speak. Finally, just as he was about to apologize, the small claws grazing Naruto's chest stopped.

"Free?" Sasuke breathed out the word as though afraid of it.

He was. His brother had given him a duty. His clan's blood had been spilt, and Sasuke was to answer their cry for vengeance.

Yes. He did not need his brother to be the criminal to know that he was an avenger. Such things as justice and hatred long determined Sasuke's path before he had ever heard his brother's command.

His only mistake was in thinking that Itachi was already travelling this path. That was why he was not in the village taking care of Sasuke. He had gone out to seek the vengeance owed to them both. After the cemetery, Sasuke only wanted to find his brother so he could join him.

But now his brother was _**guilty**_, and Sasuke was left alone to seek vengeance.

Except…

"You said I'm free."

… Naruto was saying something different. From Naruto's lips came a word that Sasuke had never associated with himself after learning of the death of his clan.

"W-what?" Naruto thought he heard a shaking whisper. "Sasuke?"

The criminal he hated was Itachi. The one he had to defeat was…

Nii-chan.

Murderer.

Nii-chan.

He has to die.

"Do you hate him?"

A trembling question, blown across Konoha by a cold wind. The arms around him waited for his answer in trembling fear.

"No. I don't."

Naruto released his held breath. It shook on the way out. "Why?" He did not dare think that his babbling had helped. He was not brave enough to entertain such reckless hope.

Sasuke's breath shook on the way in. And kept shaking. Rage was building inside him, making him breathe too fast. "I'm _**angry**_, Naruto. I'm so angry at Nii-chan right now that I want to scratch his face! _**I want to keep scratching – I want to gouge out his flesh until there's nothing left!**_"

Naruto winced.

"I want him to feel the same pain, the same fear that he gave to my clan! I want to hate him. I should hate him. No matter what you tell me, I _**must**_ hate him!"

His breathing calmed a little. His claws retracted from Naruto's flesh. "But, I can't. No matter what I do – when I think of my Nii-chan… I can't hate him."

"Why not?" Naruto coaxed when the kitten silenced.

Another shaky inhale. "Because… you're my Nii-chan, Naruto."

Naruto blinked slowly and waited. Now was not the time to show how happy that statement made him.

"I try to make Nii-chan say those words in my head, and I try to imagine the massacre, and I try to _**hate him**_. But when I do… I see your face. When I think of my Nii-chan, all I see is your face.

"And I can't hate you. I can't ever, ever hate you. I can't look at your face and hate you. I can't smell you and hate you. I can't hear your voice and hate you. When I'm with you, all I can think about is my good and loving brother. Because…no matter what… you're my Nii-chan. And Nii-chan's my Nii-chan too!"

Sasuke climbed up his body, using his claws as a grip, until he was face to face with Naruto.

"I love you. And I love Nii-chan. No matter how angry I am at either of you… I can't hate any of you!"

Naruto trembled with the growing hope in his heart. But he could not jump in full-mast. The memories of a vengeful Sasuke consumed by the darkness were still too raw in his mind.

"Sasuke… Are you sure that's how you feel? Are you sure you can keep feeling that way…?"

The kitten stopped him with a watery smile. "You're the same, Naruto. Even after the village hated you and hurt you, don't you still love it? Don't you still want to be Hokage?"

Naruto, in a rare moment thought by many to be impossible, was speechless. His mouth was open, but no words could find the will to come out.

He just stared at Sasuke's face, twisted with emotion, the kitten's tears dripping onto his own cheeks. "Naruto. Nii-chan… is bad. He needs to be punished for what he did to my clan. I can't hate him. But I still have to stop him. That's my duty as an Uchiha, and as his brother." He swallowed courage with a big gulp. "It doesn't matter… if Nii-chan's love was just pretend…"

It did matter. Naruto, who could _**see**_ the cracks deepening in Sasuke's heart as he said those words, knew that it did matter.

But Sasuke blinked his tears away and _**pushed on**_, leaving Naruto to marvel at his strength.

"_**My**_ love wasn't. Because he's my Nii-chan, I love him. And because I love him… _**I'll stop him**_."

Naruto again tried to speak, but after a moment gave up and shut his mouth.

Those last three words were _**raw**_ with resolve, and utterly drowned the hatred inside similar promises Sasuke had made in the past.

Revenge out of hatred. Justice out of love. Naruto would never be eloquent enough to describe their difference, but he would never forget those words: an army's strength from a babe's lips.

Sasuke took a breath. He wasn't finished yet. He closed his eyes, tugging on one of the few memories he had left.

"Nii-chan once told me that we're unique brothers. He'll always be there for me, even if it's just as an obstacle I have to overcome. Even if I do hate him."

He opened his eyes, and met Naruto's. "Nii-chan's still too big an obstacle for me to overcome. I'm not strong enough to stop him by myself. So will you come with me and stand by my side? Will you help me, Naruto?"

Naruto's lips parted, a tear escaping each eye. For the second time since he met this strong, _**strong**_ kitten, words spilled out of his mouth as naturally to him as breathing.

"Yes. I'll help you, Sasuke."

* * *

_**A/N: Oh no an OC! Lol. Yeah, what can I say? Hope she wasn't too intrusive. **_

_**Favourite, follow and review – all show me the love and make me very happy. **_

_**Speaking of reviews, there are some awesome reviews that I can't PM to, so I'll reply to them here:**_

**Mary:**_** This is way overdue but thank you for being my first review on my first Naruto fanfic ever. If you're still reading, I hope you're enjoying this story.**_

**Bunnyguest:**_** Glad you enjoyed the Iruka crying scene – it was fun to write. The fact that Danzō never got punished for giving shinobi info to Orochimaru is pretty strange – I chalk it up to dirty politics (aren't they all?) lol. I hope you have a good idea about how big Sasuke is now – I wasn't too specific in the story because it just didn't seem to fit – but if Naruto can carry him around in his jacket and stuff, you should have a good idea.**_

**Guest (both of you):**_** Thanks a ton.**_

**G-man… G-man… G-man G-man G-man:**_** Why you have no profile? You're a steady reviewer and your comments are thoughtful and well-expressed… do you have any idea how much it's going to increase the word count on this chapter just to reply to everything? Well, can't be helped. **_

_**First, I hope it's clearer now how kitty-Sasuke fits into this. I know – with this concept I really could've gone a lot of different directions, but in the end kitty-Sasuke stuck with me, so here we are.**_

_**Second, the respect is much appreciated. Truly. I'm glad you're enjoying Sasuke's change, and I'm glad that everything's believable and 'pretty damn awesome'. Thank you.**_

_**Third, I know right? Even if they could only fight as ETs, Itachi vs Danzo would've been awesome to see. I was writing completely from scratch – imagining a fight between these two was really hard, considering they are both such serious and powerful characters. I was debating the same thing about the Izanagi, but I never thought about Itachi chopping off his own leg. That would've been hardcore to say the least. Also, massive thanks for your canon comments – saying that **_**anything**_** that I've written should have been canon is a HUGE compliment.**_

_**You've mentioned a few times that my writing is similar to Serendipity's… … … … I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm hugely flattered because Serendipity's an awesome writer and saying that I'm like him is a compliment. But… it also means that I'm a copy-cat (no pun intended) and I don't have a definitive style of my own. Which is true. I really have been emulating Not Sick's style, and I'll explain why. **_

_**You see, I tend to be a bit long-winded and complex in my normal writing, and that's something I've been trying to change. Serendipity's style is one of the most balanced I've seen – simple but not overly so, and with sufficient depth and meaning to keep a mature audience interested. I feel it's the way 'Naruto-canon' is written as well: Simple words. Short lines. Big impact. Not Sick has mastered this, and I want to master it as well. It's the pithy stuff that stays with people, after all. **_

_**As I keep writing, hopefully my own style will develop and become distinct. Until that happens, a 'Not Sick' vibe will probably stay with my story for a long time. **_

_**Fourth (you see? The word count's completely messed up now), when I read 'Madara level boss' I cracked up laughing. I'm glad you've warmed up to Sasuke's transformation, and that you're looking forward to Itachi's development. Hope you keep enjoying this story. **_

_**Phew, that's everything. Again, favourite, follow and review as you like. I love all you guys.**_

_**See you all next time! **_


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

For the first time in three days since she last cuddled baby Sasuke (though she would never admit to it), Tsunade Senju walked into her office with dragging steps. While Naruto and Sasuke ate and slept peacefully in the hospital, she had been running around nonstop, meeting with clan heads, researching jutsu, she even had correspondence with the Daimyo.

But the worst of it, undoubtedly, was the paperwork. How one little kitten could generate enough paperwork to rival three months' worth of her usual stock was still beyond her. She guessed 'Sasuke's return to Konoha' coupled with 'irreversible genetic mutation and age reversal' would rock any administrative system to its foundations.

When she glanced up at her desk, expecting the three days old piles of 'normal' paperwork that she had been neglecting, she found its surface clear for the first time in years.

_Shizune_.

Not for the first time, Tsunade felt truly blessed to have her as an apprentice. Even though the painful experience of enduring her nagging was on par with a twenty day losing streak at the casino.

And even then, she'd take the losing streak.

Two pairs of feet, one pair dragging just as wearily as hers, came in behind her.

For the moment, Tsunade paid them no attention. She needed to get to that chair first. Hang the person who decided to put it so far away!

But she was hailed as the Slug Princess and world's greatest Iryō-nin. She had survived Hanzō, fought through the Second Shinobi World War and lived through the Third.

So, no matter how utterly _**drained**_ she was, she soon found herself sitting in Konoha's most comfortable chair and flexing the bandaged fingers of her right hand in mild fascination.

It had been a long, _**long**_ time since she had sustained an injury for three days. It made her feel a bit…civilian…which from time to time was not a bad thing.

"That's your own fault you know," said a voice that Tsunade still found herself so grateful to hear at times. It did not escape her how close she had come to losing its owner.

Jiraiya leaned against the wall, standing where Shizune usually stood ramrod straight, holding Tonton while she 'assertively reminded' Tsunade about all of her wonderful paperwork.

He even had the same reprimanding frown. "You should have known better than to go punching a wall saturated with that much sealing jutsu."

Tsunade's frown was the perfect twin to the looks Shizune would receive. The wall in question, quite frankly, still made her want to hit something whenever she thought of it. If not for the injury she suffered (which would have been the loss of her entire arm were she not a Senju) she would have torn that entire room apart with her bare hands.

"I'm surprised you held yourself back," she smoothly returned to the Sannin. "The last time I've seen you look so enraged…" she thought a moment, "Actually, I've never seen you look like that."

"You haven't spent enough time with me, then," Jiraiya said with an easy smile and just a spark of suppressed-not-dead fury in his eyes. "Though that's all going to change."

Tsunade felt just the slightest heat enter her face before she shut it down. "I suppose it has to," she answered with feigned belligerence, "I can't see you leaving the village on any more missions with just one arm."

Jiraiya chuckled; they both knew exactly what he had meant, and surprisingly, neither of them had any (strong) objections.

The third occupant in the room looked between the two with growing understanding but, other than stifling a yawn, remained silent.

"How's Naruto doing?"

A white smile. "Excellent. His technique's really growing – he's almost able to achieve a physical change now."

"Oh." Perfectly shaped eyebrows raised. That _**was**_ something. "And Sage Mode?"

"We'll get to it. I really want to focus on the Kyūbi's chakra for now."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll leave it to you then."

She pulled out a file from her desk's top drawer. Danzō's file. Shizune had not touched it – there were some things only the Hokage could do.

She signed a few papers inside it, stamped 'Deceased' on its cover in big, black letters, and performed a small seal. She watched without emotion as the squiggled black lines stretched across the cover, binding its contents to all but a few privileged eyes.

The funeral had been short. And lonely. Only herself, the remaining two Elders, Sai, Tori and a handful of other shinobi were there. Except for the two Ex-Root members and the remnants of Danzō's old team, everyone else was only present out a sense of duty.

Tsunade had a lot to say about Danzō actually, but none of it was… proper… for the man's final send-off. So she refrained, saying only the bare minimum, her tone so emotionless that an onlooker would be fooled into thinking that she was also a past member of Root.

After the service, Danzō's body was cremated. Tsunade had felt their eyes on her then; the eyes of all of Danzō's subordinates. They had attended the service in shadows, and in shadows they left before she could call them out.

Sai then met her eyes and given her a small smile. Tori glanced at him with an even smaller smile. The muscles in her face trembled a bit with the effort, but it was a start.

She knew then, that she could trust Sai with the lost children of Root.

Tsunade exhaled, sinking back into her chair and flexing her fingers. That funeral ended less than an hour ago, and already she was exhausted.

"How much longer until the meeting?" she asked no one. The room's other two occupants glanced at each other, until the wearier of the two spoke.

"Half an hour."

"I see." She glanced at the one who answered. "Didn't sleep you got back, huh Kakashi?"

"Not a wink, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, his closed eye upturned in a smiling crescent.

"You're the one who insisted on seeing him early. I still think it's too early for Sakura, even though she's going to be coming here."

Her face shamelessly held the words 'I told you so' as Kakashi swayed a little and stifled another yawn.

"He's cute," Kakashi finally deadpanned. Tsunade blinked. Jiraiya chuckled.

"After two full nights of thinking, that's the only conclusion you've come to?"

Kakashi shrugged, giving up and yawning fully this time. "I have no clue as to what could have done that to him, especially with such permanency. And why a cat?"

"I've been thinking on that too," said Tsunade. "And I think I might have a lead, but I want to wait until all of Team Seven are here."

Kakashi choked a little on that, and quickly diverted to another subject.

"You seem to have given custody of him to Naruto."

"Not officially but…" she shrugged. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Kakashi drew out the word a little. Tsunade's eyes narrowed, waiting for Kakashi to gather his thoughts.

A small part of her was relieved that she was not the only one completely thrown when first faced with what Sasuke had become. If even the Copy-Ninja was flustered, it truly was as shocking as she thought.

And for what it meant…

"I can see that they're close," Kakashi finally explained. "It amazes me if I'm being honest. Naruto will need some help, but I'm sure that situation will be fine at least. But the fact that there's no way to change him back… I don't know what to say. How did Naruto take it when you told him?"

Tsunade did not know how to describe it. How did she describe that impassive face, that nod of unresisting acceptance and that perfectly calm 'okay'?

"Well."

"Well?"

Tsunade nodded, interlacing her fingers despite the trace of pain. "No anger. No sadness. No shock. No fight. He just accepted it."

Kakashi stared at her, his eye growing wide. "Why would he just _**accept**_ it? He can't want –"

"What?" Jiraiya pushed off the wall, resting his arm in the fold of the grey robes he now wore. Until he learned to function better with one arm, his clothing options had become limited.

"He can't want a true best friend who actually loves him? He can't want a Sasuke who actually acknowledges him, actually values the life of the one person in this world who would give up his own flesh, blood and soul just to save him from the darkness –?"

"Jiraiya." At Tsunade's voice he stopped, embarrassed that he got so worked up. About to apologize to Kakashi, he found that during his energetic monologue, a few early birds had shown up for the meeting.

Or perhaps, considering who was here, 'energetic' was not so much the right word as –

"So youthful!"

_Oh joy._

"Hokage-sama, please do not be angry at Lord Jiraiya for his youthful display of burning passion for his beloved student, as I have also forgotten form at times when I burn with youthful –!"

Jiraiya snapped.

"Why are you here too, Gai?! This meeting was only for the students. No jōnin senseis were supposed to be –"

"Excuse me." Rock Lee raised his hand in perfect disciplined form, waiting patiently for Jiraiya to acknowledge him.

Jiraiya blinked. His eyebrow twitched. Oh, that was a rather terrible migraine coming…

"What?"

"I would like to point out that Neji is also here, and is a jōnin. Also, Kakashi-sensei is here, and he is a jōnin as well as a sensei."

"That was a very astute observation Lee!" Gai youthfully proclaimed, giving his student a powerful thumbs-up and a smile that could blind the Byakugan. To that point, Neji subtly turned his face.

"Thank you Gai-sensei! I have been practicing my observational skills as of late in order to come up with a new ultimate technique!"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes! It is one to rival your Morning Peacock. I shall call it…" Lee paused for dramatic effect, just as his sensei taught him. Gai leaned in, thoroughly enthralled by his own dramatic technique.

"Morning Chicken!"

Tsunade blinked. Jiraiya's jaw dropped. Kakashi rolled his eye. Neji sighed. Tenten subtly pulled out a fan, contemplated using it, then decided against it. She did not want to appear childish in front of Lady Tsunade after all.

Gai stared at his student. A lone tear swelled in his eye.

"Lee. That name…"

Lee stared at his sensei, his perfectly round eyes sparkling in anticipation of the man's opinion.

The tear broke its banks, and likewise transformed into a river that raged down both sides of the man's face. How that happened in a split second – Jiraiya blamed it on chakra.

"_**That name shines with the full power of youth!**_"

Lee, an ever-youthful doppelganger of his master, also had two rivers of tears washing his cheeks.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"_**Gai-sensei!**_"

"_**Lee!**_"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE! COME MY CHILD, LEAP INTO MY HEAVING BOSOM!"

They embraced. They cried. A sunset and crashing waves appeared behind them, though Jiraiya was sure that he had simply been driven mad to the point of hallucination when he saw it.

It was this scene that Team 10 walked into. Shikamaru took one look and attempted to walk right back out but was stopped by a ruthless hand on the back of his jacket.

"It's your fault they got here before us in the first place!" Ino hissed, stepping around the weeping spandexed duo while dragging him in tow. "I even got Chōji to stop eating freakin' barbecue just to get here early but you and your lazy –!"

"Now, now, we're here and that's what matters, right?" said Chōji, gulping down large portions of aforementioned barbecue from a Take-Out box.

Ino screeched. Shikamaru yelled and blocked his ears, the rest of the room winced, and Gai and Lee stopped crying.

Tenten looked at them. Then at Ino. _She needs to teach me her method._

"You're in front of the Hokage, Chōji! You can't be _**eating**_!"

"But Shikamaru said this wasn't a formal kind of meeting. And besides, we're still fifteen minutes early."

_And I wish you weren't._ As Ino went into a full tirade, Tsunade refrained from rubbing her temples, even though she desperately wanted to.

_But even Kakashi was early for this, so what'd I expect?_ And in the midst of Ino's chaos, she smiled. _They're all still concerned for Sasuke this much huh?_

"Oi, Ino! Pipe down already will ya!" Team 8, led by a very large dog with a healthy sheen in its white coat entered: two of its members did so quietly, the third made enough noise to cover both of them.

"Akamaru and I can hear you all the way from the village gates!"

"The same can be said of you, Kiba," Shino quietly complained. Hinata imperceptibly nodded and gave a small smile to her cousin, who nodded in response.

"Well," the dog-boy looked around, "Looks like everyone's here so…"

"I'm afraid that's incorrect Kiba," said Shino. Kiba's shoulders flinched and he slowly turned to his teammate, "Why? The members of Team 7 are absent."

Kiba opened his mouth to respond, when another voice contradicted Shino.

"Forgive us, I thought we were early."

Sai walked in, supporting a bandaged and bloodlessly pale Sakura. Though she had somehow managed to get dressed in some normal clothes, she still wielded a crutch in her left hand.

When she looked up and met everyone's gazes of shock, she smiled weakly.

"I'm okay. I was just a little stupid in our last mission and –"

"What the hell did you do?!" Ino screamed, rushing over to Sakura's other side and attempting to support her.

Under the sharp gaze of her master, Sakura winced and explained sheepishly.

Ino gawked.

"You abused soldier pills?! You of all people?! _**You could have killed yourself!**_"

"Like I said, I wasn't thinking straight. I heard that Sasuke-kun was back and that Naruto had gotten in a fight with the leader of Akatsuki and I –"

"What?" Shikamaru, who had joined Jiraiya in leaning against the wall, came off it and stared at her. "I heard that Sasuke was back, but nothing about Naruto battling Akatsuki's leader."

"That's why I called you all here," Tsunade said, straightening in her chair. "Now that everyone's here, this meeting can get underway. Kakashi…"

The man who was addressed had fallen into a doze standing up. He jerked when he heard his name and stood at attention.

"Since you already know everything, go on to Naruto and bring him and Sasuke back here in half an hour."

Kakashi nodded and with a leap he was gone. Tenten stared at the ceiling; was there a trapdoor or something up there?

While Chōji quickly inhaled the last of his barbecue, Tsunade turned to Sai. "How's Tori doing?"

Sai nodded. "She's sleeping at home; I think she's tired from feeling too many things at once."

"Who's Tori?" asked Ino, helping Sakura to the chair Tsunade had prepared for her.

"Ah!" Kiba adopted a sly smile that showed off his impressive canines. "Tori's that girl I've seen you holding hands with all around the village, right?"

Sai responded with a blank smile. "Yes, that's her."

The smile faltered into a light cough as Kiba thumped him solidly on the back. "Nice going Sai. She's a little plain but the best ones usually are. Good going, man!"

Sai tilted his head, unsure of how to respond. Ino, looking especially irritated, targeted Kiba.

"If it was like that, Tsunade-sama wouldn't have asked about her."

"How do you know?"

"The Hokage doesn't ask after people's love lives!"

"How do you know?"

"She hasn't asked _**me**_ any of those kinds of questions."

"That's because the entire Fire Country knows you don't _**have**_ a love life."

For that comment, Kiba was gifted with several rather cancerous looking lumps sprouting out of his wild mat of hair. Akamaru whined sympathetically.

"She has to do with Root, right?" As usual, Shikamaru's genius drilled through to any secret Tsunade tried to keep.

With a small crease in her brow, she assented. "However," she stopped Shikamaru from going further, "all of that is a discussion for another time. You wanted to know about Naruto and Pain's encounter, correct?"

Shikamaru saw through her ploy, but was helpless to fight it. He was too curious.

"It's true, Naruto did face Pain. His intervention allowed Jiraiya to retrieve invaluable information about his techniques as well as his identity. However, Naruto suffered extreme chakra exhaustion while acting as a diversion. He's still recovering his chakra reserves even now."

Shikamaru's eyes were full of questions, but once again, Tsunade stopped him from speaking. "Shizune has completed a full report detailing Pain's abilities, which was distributed to every shinobi rank Chūnin and above this morning. You all can study it after this meeting is over."

"Why wasn't Pain defeated?" Shikamaru insisted. "If Lord Jiraiya and Naruto were there, and they knew all of Pain's secrets…"

"Reinforcements arrived," Jiraiya answered. "Neither of us was in any shape to fight them."

Shikamaru glanced at Jiraiya's loosely hanging sleeve with no arm to fill it. His lips tensed and he fell silent.

"While Pain was not defeated, he was dealt a devastating blow. We estimate at least a month before he becomes a viable threat again."

She paused, re-lacing her fingers and resting her chin upon them. "I would like to move on now to the meat of the matter. Uchiha Sasuke. As all of you already know, he has returned to Konoha and is under the unofficial custody of Uzumaki Naruto."

An audible inhale of breath filled the room. Sakura's hands clenched slightly.

"Custody?" Neji wondered.

"Yes." Here, Tsunade paused. Neji and Shikamaru were on full alert immediately. The others in the room tensed.

_Good reactions._

Tsunade inhaled. "The things I am about to tell you are shocking. I'm going to go straight to the end, so just listen and absorb as much as you can before asking any questions."

And with that, she told them everything.

Sasuke's amnesia, his transformation, her uselessness, and Naruto's new position.

'Guardian' was the absolutely wrong word to ever ascribe to Naruto. But it was also absolutely right. Naruto would protect Sasuke, care for Sasuke and watch over Sasuke until a way was found to fix him. What else could he be called, even if he was a hundred years too young for the title?

By the silence that met her words, no one else could argue either.

Shikamaru slowly rose from the floor. He had descended there sometime during her speech, his fingertips pressed together in a signature circle.

"Baby cat-human…" the words were soft, as though they knew they should not exist. "True age regression that's irreversible…" He shook his head. "That's not possible. There's nothing in this world capable of that."

"Apparently there is," Tsunade replied evenly. "What happened to Sasuke is like the answer to what Orochimaru spent all of his life and intelligence trying to find. The key to true immort –"

"I'm saying that's not possible!" Chōji and Ino flinched. It was always something to see Shikamaru worked up, especially when he put his own life in danger.

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, and Shikamaru swallowed, but did not back down.

"It has to be some kind of trick. A secret jutsu, some kind of Kekkei Genkai. I can't accept –"

"So you think your Hokage is happy-go-lucky enough to accept such a thing so easily?"

"Of course not. But… ok. It's really Sasuke – blood and DNA tests prove it."

"And I took him to Hiashi to confirm his chakra system," came the flat addition. "His eyes have the most experience with Uchiha chakra, so he's the best to verify it."

_Oh_. The two Hyūga in the room had the same thought. _That explains it then_.

Hinata remembered her father's eye twitch (the first she had ever seen since the days her mother was alive) when she told him about the meeting, and the weird glances he kept giving poor Tomo, the family cat.

Neji remembered the Hyūga patriarch crouched in front of said animal, staring at him as though he held all the secrets of the universe.

When Hiashi activated the Byakugan, Neji had walked away.

"Right." Shikamaru continued, unaware of the Hyūgas' small epiphany. "It's really him then. Then the answer must be something else, something obvious that we're missing. If we just think it out… wait – Orochimaru! He –"

"Wouldn't try something like this on Sasuke," Tsunade smoothly interrupted. "Sasuke was his precious vessel – if this really was his key to immortality, it could only be in the experimental stages. He has many disposable test subjects for that. Also," she shared a look with Jiraiya, "this just isn't his style.

"But to be safe, I sent out a few teams to sniff around his old hideouts. Now that he's dead, they're a bit easier to find."

"And?"

"Nothing so far on the nearest one. The other teams are still travelling. But, the one we did manage to search seems to have been picked clean of anything useful."

"Who – Kabuto. There was no report on his death."

Tsunade nodded – "Tsunade-shishou" – and started, a bit shocked that Sakura, who had gotten paler throughout the meeting, opted to speak. "Isn't Sasuke-kun's form the same as your Youthful Appearance?"

Tsunade sighed. "If it was that easy, I would have fixed it by now. I told you, Sasuke's change is permanent. Truly permanent. It is beyond me or any clan in Konoha to fix him."

"Any clan, huh?" Ino looked straight on at her, while the mild grip she kept on Sakura's shoulders tightened. "Tsunade-sama, let me perform the Mind Probe."

"Ino, your father said –"

"Dad always underestimates me. His body may be a lost cause, but I can retrieve his mind. Dad may think I'm too weak, but if you and I work together I can carry you to the place that's damaged in Sasuke's mind and you can heal…"

She stopped at Tsunade's raised hand. "Your father isn't underestimating you. He thinks you're too strong. He said it himself, 'even my daughter using the bare minimum of her chakra would not be able to avoid hurting him'. Sasuke is _**too young**_ for the Mind Probe. Inoichi would only consider letting _**anyone**_ from your clan do it when he's five years older."

"F-five years?!" Ino rocked back slightly in shock. "Just how young is… oh… _**baby**_ cat-human."

"Yes. And Sasuke's amnesia is not from 'damage', but suppression. He's suppressing a traumatic memory, and with the same force is suppressing all his other memories as well."

Shino spoke up. "There are memories worse than what he's been through?"

"Apparently so. Whatever Sasuke encountered, it was… bad."

The same looks of consternation adorned all of their faces, though of course, Sakura was the most pronounced.

Her voice, unable to rise above a whisper, was trembling when she asked, "There's nothing we can do then? Someone just comes along and does this to Sasuke-kun, and there's nothing we can do about it?"

Tsunade pursed her lips. "I do have one lead, but I want to wait until Naruto gets here to discuss it."

Sakura flinched. She understood now, clearly. Naruto already knew everything that Tsunade just told them. She didn't. She came here knowing nothing, just like everyone else. Why? She could understand Kakashi, but she and Naruto had both been bedridden in the hospital. Why did he know and she didn't? Why did she have to wait until _**he**_ was here before knowing more?

Sakura stopped. She unclenched her hands and gently pulled them apart. She was shaking. For a moment, towards Naruto she had…

"…should let you all know," Tsunade was speaking again. "It's about Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's brother. He's dying."

Shikamaru's head, bowed in deep thought, snapped back up. "Danzō?"

"No. He has a terminal illness. Sakura healed him on site and –"

"You healed him?" Ino interjected.

Sakura blinked slowly and answered in an eerily serene tone, "A dead hostage is useless."

Ino shuddered. That was cold. Even for Sakura.

"By Sakura's account Itachi has only one or two more weeks left to live, even with the medicine he was using." Tsunade leaned forward, fixing a steely gaze on every one of them. "I do not want Naruto or Sasuke knowing of Itachi's condition before he dies."

"Why?" Hinata asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jiraiya stepped forward and all turned to him. "Naruto told Sasuke about his clan, and Itachi's involvement."

Sakura stood up. Her crutch clattered to the floor, the resulting strain of her weight making her legs tremble violently.

She was shaking with so much anger that she did not notice.

"_**Why**_?!" _He didn't even ask me._ "If Sasuke-kun has amnesia then this was his chance for a normal life! Why would Naruto ruin that?! He'll just turn into an avenger again!"

Jiraiya paused, weighing his words before answering. "I've been watching him closely. He hasn't shown any signs of the darkness he had before."

"What would you know about it?!" her voice broke and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Sasuke-kun's condition… I didn't know what to think… But when I thought that Sasuke-kun would walk a different path now… I was happy! I was so happy! But Naruto… Naruto's supposed to be his guardian right?! He's supposed to protect him from hatred, so _**why!**_ _**Why would he feed him an avenger's hatred again?!**_"

Her legs gave out; Ino caught her and put her back in the chair, where she sobbed.

A tentative hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up into Sai's face.

"I think Naruto did the right thing." Sakura blinked, freeing more tears. "These things are still new to me, but I don't think a true life of happiness can be based on a lie."

To everyone's surprise, Chōji spoke up. "If Sasuke thought his clan was still alive, then Naruto had to tell him. It woulda been worse if he found out by surprise."

"The Uchiha are obviously gone," Neji further supplied. "Sasuke would have found out sooner or later. I think being upfront about it was the best move, rather than hiding in the darkness."

Sakura slowly brought up her wrist to wipe her eyes clear. She nodded numbly, staring unseeing at a spot on the floor.

"Even though you all agree, Naruto thought the same way as Sakura at first," Jiraiya explained. Sakura looked up minutely, her eyes slightly relieved. "He hesitated to tell Sasuke about his clan, and waited even longer to tell him of Itachi's guilt.

"It seems that, before the massacre, Sasuke and Itachi were very close brothers. When Naruto saw how much Sasuke had loved Itachi, and heard about Itachi's love in return, he became unsure of what to think or do about Itachi.

"I spoke to him and it seems that his mind has cleared up. However, I would just feel more… comfortable… if we hear of Itachi's death before letting Naruto and Sasuke know. The reason I'm telling you all is because Team 8, Sakura and Sai already know, and it would be naïve to think that word will not get out, or somehow get back to those two. Okay?"

A collective "Hai" answered him, and he smiled. Talking like this in front young ones made him think of Naruto in a way.

"Jiraiya-sama." Gai had remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the entire meeting, so much so that Jiraiya forgot about him. "It seems that your standing has changed."

The Sage blinked. That kind of perception was… unexpected. Though, there had to be a reason the man was a jōnin despite… everything he was.

"I suppose it had to come out eventually," Tsunade sighed. "I've appointed Jiraiya as my new advisor to replace Danzō."

The room collectively blinked, no one knowing what to do with that information. It was Lee who broke the silence with unexpectedly tame applause, to which the others quickly followed suit.

Tsunade retained a distinctly irritated expression as Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, muttering embarrassed 'Thank Yous.'

"Congratulations," said a voice from the window.

"Ah, thank you – Kakashi?"

"Yo," the Copy-Ninja crouched in the window raised a single hand. "So _**that's**_ what you meant when you said you'd be spending more time together."

"What did you think?" the danger in Tsunade's tone told Kakashi's sense of self-preservation to quickly change the subject.

"Naruto's downstairs. I thought I should come up here and see how far you'd gotten before bringing him in."

"It's not half an hour yet."

"It's already been forty minutes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade blinked and checked the clock hanging over the door.

"I have a perfect sense of time," Kakashi nonchalantly stated, "so I'd always know when to be late." Tsunade couldn't argue that. "So now's a good time?"

"Sure, send him up."

"Okay. Sasuke's sleeping by the way – mid-morning nap," Kakashi's eye turned up in a smile. "He really is cute." And then he was gone.

"Huh. Seems he's adjusted," Jiraiya noted.

"Or he's drunk from lack of sleep," said Tsunade wryly.

* * *

Fifteen minutes. That seemed to be average time it took for people to stare, absorb and accept Sasuke-kitten's appearance.

Naruto still had five more minutes to go. He waited patiently.

Kakashi waited with him, every so often looking at the sleeping Sasuke and smiling softly.

_Huh. So he's adjusted._

Though he was content to wait, Naruto's back had different ideas. He couldn't help that. Sakura was sitting, the others were crowded around him, so he was caught in an awkward bending position with his head leaning back for everyone to get a good view.

He was a ninja, but even ninja had their limits. If only Sakura didn't seem dead terrified of holding him.

"Uchiha…" Neji whispered, sounding sorry for him and disbelieving at the same time.

"Sasuke…chan…" Hinata had said that a few times now, as though trying to force herself to get used to the new honorific.

"Troublesome…" That really made no sense no matter how much Naruto thought about it. He guessed that the Nara had nothing to say, so naturally his favourite catchphrase came out to fill the gap.

"He really is cute…" Naruto agreed with Tenten, though he would never say it out loud. Though, Kakashi seemed to have no problem doing just that.

"He's like a little pork cutlet…" Chōji… just…

"He sleeps with the light of pure youth…" Okay. Naruto had to say something to that one.

But as he opened his mouth, something _**rolled**_ in his back. Something that felt like vertebra.

That was not good.

"Uh, guys? I can't stand like this anymore – my spine's gonna break."

Naruto straightened, and at the sudden shift in equilibrium, he stumbled. His knee banged against the corner of Tsunade's desk, and he loudly released a few choice words towards both desk and desk-maker.

Right on cue, Sasuke's claws flashed and stabbed into his stomach, the serene expression of sleep moving aside for an irritated pout.

"Quiet, Nawuto."

As one, all of the Konoha 11 except for Sakura stepped back.

"He can talk?!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Uh, yeah. He talks like a baby sometimes but when he tries he's pretty good." He glared as Sasuke settled back into his arms, his face becoming still.

"So Kiba can yell but I can't?" There was no answer. Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

"If he can talk, why d'you call him a baby?" asked Tenten.

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, calling him anything else just seems wrong somehow."

"Oh. And why's he wearing baby clothes?"

"They're the only things that fit him."

"All right, let me rephrase. Why is he wearing _**orange**_ baby clothes?"

Naruto had no justifiable answer for this. Like most who found themselves caught in this position, he quickly searched for a way to change the subject.

"So, Baa-chan, you said that you had a way to find out what happened to Sasu – ow!"

"Too loud, Nawuto."

"Why is it only my voice?!" Naruto shout-whispered. "That angry couple was shouting right outside our room for ten minutes and you said _**nothing**_!"

Sasuke squirmed and, with agility that defied Naruto's attempts to hold him still, sleep-climbed up the blonde's torso to his shoulder where he rested his head, pulling idly at Naruto's shirt with his claws until he fell into a deep sleep.

Naruto glanced at him, shifted his shoulder a little, and ventured to raise his voice.

"So, Baa-chan. That way to find out what happened to Sasuke. You'll tell me now?"

Tsunade, whose lip suspiciously twitched with something very close to laughter, quickly regained full composure.

"Yes. Sakura's to thank for this one (her apprentice blushed). In her words, the masked Akatsuki 'dropped a big hint' about seeing an old cat. We believe this 'old cat' has the answer to Sasuke's change, or at least a clue."

Naruto tilted his head, lost as a child in a forest. "Old cat?"

"After going through the missions files, only one of Konoha's former clients fits the bill."

Sakura smirked for some reason. "Right Naruto? The _**old cat**_, remember?"

She winked at him. He squinted at her before slow understanding dawned on his face.

"Aah! Nekobaa – ow!"

"Quiet, Nawuto."

"Are you really asleep back there?!" Naruto shout-whispered. He was getting good at it, much to his dismay.

"Now, now, it is natural for babies to be sensitive to their mother's voice," Kakashi said cheerfully.

Naruto turned, very slowly, to face the smiling jōnin, who he knew had just been _**waiting**_ for a chance to say that.

"Kakashi-sensei. Never… _**ever**_… call me Sasuke's mother again. If you do, I will use _**that**_, and Ero-sennin will never write another book as long as he lives."

Kakashi's brow immediately flattened. "You're bluffing."

"Try me."

They stared at each other for a full minute, Naruto's expression dead set the entire time.

_Dear God he's serious._

"I apologize."

"You're forgiven."

Tsunade and Jiraiya both wanted to know what 'that' was (though for entirely different reasons), but were not given the chance to ask.

"Nekobaa is – was – a supplier for the Uchiha right?" Shikamaru stepped forward again, his fingertips playing at each other.

"Right. She was a source of medicine, poisons, weapons, even clothing for the clan."

"But the masked man is going to her? Then, that means…"

"The masked man is an Uchiha." Kakashi spoke in bitter truth. He had seen that eye and experienced that technique. Such mastery of the Mangekyō, forever beyond him, could only be achieved by a blood-born Uchiha.

Sakura agreed. That red glint she had seen when he had looked down on her with such contempt, the way everything she threw at him (literally) was all rendered so utterly useless.

_**She**_ was rendered utterly useless. A bitter smirk jerked her lip, and she glanced at the sleeping Sasuke.

_It could only be an Uchiha._

"Are you saying then that someone other than Sasuke survived the massacre?" Shikamaru asked, his voice low, his fingertips brushing each other in greater agitation.

"No," Kakashi's voice was steady. "All Uchiha were accounted for that night," _even the ones Danzō had taken for their eyes_, "and none of them had an ability like what the masked man displayed. Whoever this person is, he's been existing outside of the clan for a long time."

"Must be if he's in Akatsuki," Kiba muttered. Akamaru whined in agreement.

"Wait, so, Akatsuki has _**two**_ Uchiha?" Naruto almost-exclaimed. Those puncture wounds were healed, but still managed to tingle a bit. "Then Itachi's gonna get to Nekobaa before we…"

"Itachi will not go to Nekobaa. Wh –"

"Why?" Naruto beat Shino to his signature conjunction. "Wouldn't Itachi know where she is?" Shino froze, caught off guard by the surprisingly astute question.

Jiraiya quickly smothered the mistake.

"I told you that Danzō fought Itachi, right?" Something in Naruto's eyes dulled as he nodded. "Well the Uchiha came out in pretty bad shape."

Naruto blinked. His eyes got a little duller. "Oh. So Itachi's out of the picture."

"For a while, yes."

He stared sightlessly ahead for a moment, his expression undefined. Jiraiya and Kakashi watched him carefully, not sure what to make of it.

"Well then, good. That's good." And just like that, the light returned to Naruto's eyes. "But that other one…"

"Yes. He probably got to Nekobaa the same day of Danzō's death," Tsunade laced her fingers in front of her lips. "He knows exactly where to go, while we…" she glanced doubtfully at the sleeping kitten.

"Sasuke only has memories that match his age. I doubt a baby like him would have been sent for weapons supplies by himself. Therefore," her gaze met Naruto's, "We only have Sakura's memory of your past mission with Sasuke to go on."

"What about my memory?"

"_**Do**_ you remember how you got there then?"

"Well… no."

"Right. Sakura remembered everything."

Naruto fell into a sheepish silence while Sakura blushed slightly. The only reason she remembered that mission so clearly was because Sasuke looked so cute with those cat ears.

_He still does. _

"So, that said, I'm sending Kakashi out to Sora-ku, the last known place Nekobaa inhabited. Hyūga Neji ('Hai'), Nara Shikamaru ('Hai…') and Yamanaka Ino ('H-hai!') I want you three to accompany Kakashi to that city. If Nekobaa is still there, his Sharingan should lend you credibility. It's also possible that Akatsuki might be lurking around the area so be careful. If you sense danger, retreat – you're only there for recon. Normally I would let you rest longer after the type of mission you just had Kakashi, but …"

"It's fine. I'm more than ready to head out, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade smiled. "Good. Now Ino, your skill will be especially crucial on this mission. If you find Nekobaa, then depending on her condition it might be necessary for you to..."

As she went on, Neji Hyūga blinked. He did so several hundred times a day, so it was not a noteworthy event. However, after years of being on a team with two of Konoha's most… youthful characters, the number of times he blinked because something startled him was admirably low.

It was only natural. As a jōnin, he possessed foresight and deductive skill that made surprises relatively rare. As a Hyūga, and a prodigy besides that, he was not one to be thrown off balance by the strange and unexpected. Instead, he adapted around these little quirks of fate, navigating them smoothly if not avoiding them completely.

But there was no possibility of navigation here. He was standing right behind the source of his surprise, after all.

And it was waking up.

Slowly, subtly, as though to taunt him, the ear drooped over the side of its face now twitched, rising ever so gently.

At first it was a ghost of a movement out of the corner of his eye, and Neji could almost deceive himself into believing that he was just seeing things.

But for one who has mastered the Byakugan, that excuse was never true. Neji never 'just saw things'.

And sure enough, when he looked properly, Sasuke's ear was standing straight up.

Before he could think of a way to evade, Sasuke's eyes were open.

And staring right at him.

Neji blinked. The kitten did the same and looked a little less drowsy for it. Neji saw it all reflected perfectly in those big, dark eyes.

Blankness as his eyes adjusted from the realm of sleep to reality. Recognition as Neji's blurry image sharpened into that of another person. Confusion as Sasuke tried and failed to place the face staring at him.

And finally fascination: the same that filled every pair of eyes that met the Byakugan for the first time.

Neji had expected a little fear, but the Uchiha was never one to be easily frightened.

He tried averting his gaze. Sasuke's gaze never moved. He tried staring at a point past Sasuke, making his eyes look distant. The kitten leaned in a little closer.

Neji met his eyes (they really were exceptionally dark, and so deep…). His face settled into its usual stoic expression as his eyebrow twitched.

There was the fear Neji had anticipated earlier; the kitten recoiled a little, his eyes quivering.

Neji felt a stab of guilt that was poignant enough without the assistance of Tenten's elbow in his ribs. Lee released a small sound of disappointment – _**disappointment**_ – that sounded an awful lot like 'unyouthful'.

Partially the fault of Hiashi, with Neji taking any blame left over, it was now common belief that the majority of Hyūgas' everyday facial expressions were enough to frighten small children. The lore never bothered him, because he never thought it to actually be _**true**_.

Well, fate was going to change her tune today.

Neji slowly brought his hand up and clapped it over his eyes.

Sasuke blinked in surprise. He leaned forward again, staring hard as he tried to see through Neji's fingers.

Neji's hand abruptly slipped off his eyes, and in an instant, Sasuke was staring straight into a fully activated Byakugan.

Tenten winced. _Idiot, that'll just scare him more!_

Lee's eyes widened in a silent promise that someday, they too would be used to entertain little Sasuke.

The corners of Sasuke-kitten's mouth turned up. He released a soft 'fu' and started laughing.

Neji smirked. Tenten gawked. Neji leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Children of dōjutsu clans adore that trick."

"Ah," Naruto turned around, "Sasuke, you're up?"

Sasuke giggled and stood in Naruto's arms, smiling at Neji. "My name's Uchiha Sasuke. What's yours?"

"Hyūga Neji. Nice to meet you."

"You too. You're funny, Neji-niisan."

Neji blinked, looking a bit distant. A moment later, he regarded the Uchiha with warm eyes and a small smirk. "So I've been told," he said, his smirk growing at all the incredulous looks he received.

However, seeing that even the stoic Hyūga could interact naturally with the kitten seemed to break down any walls of hesitation. Especially for a certain fish-net clad blonde.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka," Ino pushed forward, flipping her hair in what she thought was a flattering way, and flashing a smile she thought was charming. The way those actions really made her look drew a snort from Sakura.

"I'm the most beautiful woman in the entire Leaf Village, but I don't like formal titles. You can just call me Ino-neechan."

"Okay. But I don't think you're that pretty." Ino's smile turned to stone. Sakura disguised her mirth under a series of synthetic coughs.

Sasuke looked around and pointed to Hinata. "I think she's the prettiest nee-chan here."

Hinata's cheeks turned pink, though her blush somewhat diminished when she sensed the killing intent in Ino's gaze.

"No, Sasuke-chan… um… that's not really…"

"Hm, you're right Sasuke," Naruto stroked his chin. "Hinata's way cuter than Ino."

Hinata's entire face glowed crimson; she stuttered unintelligibly, twiddling her fingers and fidgeting hopelessly.

"Though of course, the most beautiful woman in the village is Sakura-chan."

And immediately all colour drained from Hinata's face, leaving a dark air of depression hanging over her bowed head.

"Idiot," Jiraiya, Tsunade and Sakura muttered. Kakashi, with a roll of his eye, silently agreed.

Sasuke tilted his head at Hinata before turning to Ino, who looked almost as depressed.

"You do smell the nicest though."

Ino perked up, a small blush on her cheeks as she gave a questioning gaze to Naruto.

"Ah, his sense of smell's really good. Kinda like Kiba's."

"Oh?" the dog-boy stepped forward. "Tell me what's going on fifty meters from this building and to the left."

"Kiba, you cannot expect him to smell that far. Why? Because he is just a baby who –"

"Teriyaki special at the Barbecue place, right?"

Kiba whistled. "Not bad kid." Neji smiled, impressed.

"Nii-chan and I used to play games like that all the time," Sasuke answered, a bit embarrassed with the compliments, "My best distance is 70 meters."

"Oh?" Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You didn't tell me that."

Sasuke blushed and quickly made excuses. When the blond laughed, and he realised Naruto's accusation was fake, he started arguing, even more embarrassed.

Kakashi glanced at the lively pair, and frowned.

Something was wrong. There was no hatred in Sasuke and he was overjoyed to see that. But the two laughed and quarrelled as though talking about the sole executor of the Uchiha genocide was no big deal.

It was not that they weren't treating Itachi as a criminal. Quite the opposite.

Their will was unshakable. They had already passed judgement, and as brothers-in-arms their resolution to see Itachi's sentence through made it possible to talk about him, to be playful right after mentioning him, even as the solemn vow they agreed upon burned strongly in their eyes.

And before he knew it, Kakashi stood in awe of Jiraiya. While he let his guard down, the Sage saw into Naruto's heart and acted. Never was Kakashi more grateful that the Sannin survived Pain, and was here to read Naruto better than he ever –

"Sasuke-chan." And suddenly, a voice gentle and warm as the summer breeze filled the room, and froze Kakashi's blood.

Like a beautiful note of song from the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield, the sound was so unnatural that Kakashi (and everyone else in the room) was transfixed, wanting to run away but paralysed by the abnormal beauty.

Only two were immune to this: Sasuke, who pouted, and Jiraiya, who sighed.

"Do you remember what we said about Itachi?" Her words doused the fire in Sasuke's eyes; the kitten squirmed, nodding almost guiltily. Naruto blinked; apparently he had been asleep during this conversation.

"Nii-chan's a bad seed of Konoha. So Konoha will deal with him."

"Right." She clenched a fist, her muscles audibly tightening. "His crime was not just against your blood family, but your village family as well. Leave it to us to deal with Itachi, while you…"

She waited for him to finish. Sasuke squirmed more, his cheeks pink. "Live in peace with my new family."

"And who's that?"

"Nawuto." Warm and embarrassed, Naruto averted his eyes, met Sakura's, and felt his heart try to escape her gaze before his eyes could.

"And why?"

"Because I love him lots."

Naruto faltered, moving a small step out of place. The movement startled Sasuke, and he looked up with a frown, ready to scold Naruto when he stopped.

It was 'that' smile again, the one from the hospital, the one so rare that, for all of Naruto's sixteen years, it had never found the right joy to blossom.

And now it had bloomed twice in about as many days.

"Sasuke… don't say mushy stuff like that in front of people," the blond scratched his temple, scolding the kitten and smiling with the brilliance of a universe.

Kakashi only glanced at that smile before staring at the ceiling, his entire face a mask.

Sakura was close enough to feel its radiance without looking. Her eyes to her lap, shadowed by hair that was a bit overgrown, her hands were the only visible indicator of her mood.

Her left hand was dying, being slowly strangled by her right. Save for the trembling of both hands under the pressure, the girl was a dark statue, not moving at all.

So she missed her master's gaze, sharp and searching. The Hokage silently realised that Sasuke's change had more impact than a few startled clan heads, an intrigued Daimyo and monstrous piles of paperwork.

It was something to be addressed another day. Right now, she really needed to tend to the invisible presences outside her window.

Jiraiya beat her to it.

"I'm sure your students know that eavesdropping outside of missions is a bad habit, eh Iruka?"

There was a frigid silence for all of a moment, then the man addressed stepped into view, the corners of his mouth turned upwards in a painful wince.

Naruto blinked, utterly surprised. Jiraiya almost slapped his forehead – was this really the kid he trained for three years? "Iruka-sensei?"

As all turned to him, Iruka's face got a shade paler.

"Iruka-sensei," Lee blinked guilelessly (his large, round eyes really forbade any other type of expression), "Why were you hiding there so suspiciously?"

"Good question," he muttered, and suddenly glared at something to his side. "You come out too." It was almost a hiss.

Three men took reluctant steps into view, each looking just as discomfited. Naruto vaguely recognised them; the former Team Asuma definitely recognised two of them, and likewise wondered at the presence of a tiny bird on one of their shoulders.

The man in question, Kotetsu Hagane, caught their gazes. "Oh, this is one of the trainee messengers. They get apprenticed with senior messenger birds on delivery missions. This one's mentor just dropped him off. He kinda likes me, so…"

"Fascinating," said Tsunade flatly. "By the way, if you two are here, who's guarding the gates to my village?"

"Oh, we just got off our shift," Izumo quickly stated. "And speaking of messages..." he took a scroll from his jacket and bowed, handing it to Tsunade.

"It's from the Kazekage."

Naruto smiled and scooted a little closer to Tsunade as she took the scroll. One honey-brown glare put him right back where he started.

"This is a first. I usually get message scrolls from my Anbu or the birds themselves. You're not even part of the Aviary staff."

"Oh – uh – well…"

"What?!"

"Uh! Well, you see –!"

"No, not you. The Kazekage heard about Sasuke's return and some "special phenomena" concerning him. He wants details. What I want to know is _**how**_ did this get _**outside**_ the village already? Everyone I corresponded with knows it's strictly confidential."

She turned sharply to Naruto.

"You've been taking him out, haven't you?"

"N-no. Only once…" Naruto froze, and the skin under his whisker marks grew red, "One time, I took him to Hokage Mountain. But it was night! No one saw us. This is the first time he's been out in daylight!"

Tsunade bore a hole into his forehead with her glaring. Naruto swallowed and opened his mouth to defend himself, when Iruka beat him to it.

"I think this might be my fault. I took Konohamaru and the kids to see you. They were really worried about you and insisted on it so I thought it'd be all right."

"I don't remember Konohamaru coming to see me."

"When we went in the receptionist told us you were sleeping. So I escorted them out. They must've gone behind my back or snuck in somehow."

Tsunade snorted. "Hardly. I had Naruto's room guarded."

"You did?" a troubled question.

"They didn't follow you to Hokage Mountain, if that's what you're wondering," Jiraiya supplied. "I asked them not to."

Naruto shot his master a grateful smile.

"Actually, come to think of it," Tsunade said slowly, "One of the guards did report to me a disturbance, but he said it was taken care of. He had a really nasty nosebleed at the time."

Naruto and Iruka froze, and slowly looked at each other, silently debating on who would talk.

Tsunade did not miss the exchange. "Explain. Now."

"Uh, ahem," Iruka tried to clear his throat diplomatically, but it came out more like a faint choking. "You're familiar with Naruto's Sexy Jutsu, right?"

"Yes," the answer was dripping with barely hidden distaste. Naruto suddenly found a spot on his shoe very interesting.

"Well, a few years ago, before he left the village to train with Jiraiya-sama, Naruto taught that jutsu to Konohamaru." Tsunade stared. "And he taught the technique to his – uh – subordinates."

Tsunade's eye twitched and a vein grew on the back of her clenched fist. "A triple Sexy Jutsu."

Iruka rightly blushed. "Yes. I believe so."

Tsunade looked at Naruto. Naruto continued staring at his shoe. Smart. If he had looked up, and saw the naked acrimony in Tsunade's eyes, he would have crumpled under the crippling weight of his own shame.

Tsunade sighed. "So they 'distracted' the guards. Went inside the room. Naruto was sleeping. Sasuke too, probably. And that was that."

"Yes."

"They either told someone, or let something slip by accident, or both. And now it's reached the Kazekage."

The calmness in her voice was terrifying.

"So am I to assume that everyone knows?"

"Well, as far as details, no. But basically everyone in Konoha has heard the rumours," Izumo unintelligently spoke up. The glare Tsunade levelled at him would have shrivelled men ten times as ignorant. It was only because he had witnessed Asuma's death first-hand that he endured.

Though his face did become a few shades paler.

"And let me guess, that's why you fools are here?"

"Uh –"

Tsunade put up a hand to end the no doubt intelligent exposition before it started. "Let me try to thread the events together. The messenger scroll came, with its apprentice. You saw the scroll from Suna, and got an idea."

Kotestu swallowed.

"The fact that the bird came right as your shift ended was luck. So was the fact that its apprentice likes you. Because of those two factors, you were able to harangue the bird's attendant into letting you deliver the message here yourself, because somehow you heard about this meeting. I imagine stationed where you are you two hear a lot of things."

Both men swallowed. The bird on Kotetsu's shoulder preened itself.

"So you were on your way here, when one of you, probably Izumo, realised that without some kind of buffer, you would still get beaten by the Hokage for eavesdropping on a private meeting. That's when you found Daikoku."

The portly man stiffened. Because of his position as an Academy teacher, he did not take normal missions, and thus rarely stood before the Hokage unless there was an issue with the students.

Now, she was less than three feet away, with only half a wall separating them. That was no protection. She could still snap him like a twig without even getting up from her chair.

"And Daikoku, hearing your plight, and being curious himself, brought you to Iruka, who was probably just minding his own business. Oh, and I do apologize Iruka. When I called them fools, I wasn't referring to you."

"N-no offence taken, Hokage-sama."

She threw him a short smile, before turning back to the other three, her eyebrow raised. "You three dragged Iruka here, knowing the man would be too nice to say no. Since he is close to Naruto, who in turn is close to Jiraiya, who in turn was my old teammate and fellow Sannin, you thought this would all somehow add up to a deterrent against my current urge to do violence upon you."

No one dared nod, but the answer was obvious. Tsunade's eyebrow arched even higher.

"All of this just to clarify the rumours about Sasuke." She sighed. "Well, it was all pointless, since I'm about to assign Naruto a mission to take Sasuke all around the village."

"Huh? Me?"

"Who else?" she snapped. Naruto flinched. "You're well enough to leave the hospital, but you still need to take it easy for a few days. I'm giving you a mission to keep you occupied: you're to take Sasuke to visit the different clans, teams and places around the village. As for you guys (her gaze encompassed all the Konoha 11), I want you and your families to accommodate them. Chōji, you have no problem supplementing for Shikamaru and Ino, right?"

"Er… uh…"

"Very good." She smirked and there was a hint of mischief there. "As it stands now, Sasuke knows next to nothing about Konoha. Teach him a thing or two about yourselves, and about his home village. I want him coming out of this knowing at least as much about Konoha as any of you."

"Troublesome…" It was not a complaint. Shikamaru simply understood Tsunade's intentions, and hid his smile under his usual lazy utterance.

Jiraiya also smirked. This was an excellent move on Tsunade's part.

The Sasuke of old had always isolated himself from his village, had never seen his comrades as such, only as measuring sticks to test his own power. Ironically, in that respect he had been the mirror image of the brother he loathed.

This time, Sasuke was going to _**know**_ his village and the people in it. He was going to learn and grow surrounded by his friends, and connect with the heart of Konoha in a way that, in the past, would have been impossible.

It still would have been impossible, if not for Naruto.

Jiraiya's smile grew. His knuckleheaded student, too humble or shy to acknowledge it, would never understand just how much he had truly done for Sasuke, how _**vital**_ he had been in turning Sasuke's heart away from the dark –

"Today…"

_Oh no._ Jiraiya's skin prickled, his thoughts stopped cold. Kakashi turned around, his mouth open beneath his mask to disarm the youthful explosion that was about to take place. He was a millisecond too late.

"Today… I HAVE WITNESSED THE HEART AND SOUL OF PURE YOUTH!"

Sasuke stiffened, having just gotten a new meaning for the word loud.

"The playful rapport you share, the heartfelt bonds of love between re-united friends, and now a pure and wonderful idea by our beautiful Hokage – _**I just can't take it anymore!**_" The rivers of their tears flowing anew, the two Green Beasts turned to a stunned Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, it will not hurt to start Sasuke's tour of the village now will it?"

"Well, no, I suppose not –"

"Then come my child!" Before Naruto knew it, Sasuke was gone, leaving his arms feeling woefully empty.

Gai held Sasuke high in the air; the kitten stared at him with large eyes. "I shall begin your 'Know-Your-Village' experience by teaching you one of Konoha's core values, the Spirit of Youth!"

"C-core values?" Sasuke sounded a bit stunned. Gai took no notice. Iruka's mouth fell open, no doubt appalled at the sacrilege of Konoha's true core values.

"Yes! Without the Spirit of Youth, Konoha shinobi would shrivel under the hardships we face. The Spirit of Youth burns within every shinobi, though of course no one has mastered it quite like I have. Though my adorable student Lee grows closer with each day."

Aforementioned student sniffled. "Gai-sensei. Is that really true?"

"Yes it is. Each day, I marvel at how far you have come, and the leaps and bounds by which you continue to grow. You, my dear Lee, symbolises just what it means to have a heart and soul dedicated to the full power of youth!"

If possible, the river of Lee's tears flowed even harder.

Sasuke blinked. "So the Spirit of Youth is some kind of power?"

"Yes. It is that power which allows all Konoha shinobi to serve and protect this dear village and the ones precious to us."

Sasuke thought on that. He was not so sure about his words, but being around powerful ninja like Nii-chan, the white-haired Jii-chan and Naruto allowed him to tell.

This man was truly strong.

"Okay."

The spandexed duo blinked.

"Teach me."

"W-wait." "Gai, don't –" "Sasuke-kun!" the combined effort of the rest of Team Seven went unheeded.

"Teach me about the Spirit of Youth."

Neji stepped forward, his face shadowed in dread. "Uchiha, you don't know what…"

It was too late.

Gai's jaw set and the flow of tears stopped. "Lee. I'm sorry. But you cannot be my priority for a while. I must focus all of my attention right now on your new Junior Student."

Something inside Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto _**screamed**_ at that statement, but they were still too horror-struck to do anything about it.

"It's all right, Gai-sensei," Lee's tears stopped as well, his face deadly serious. "I too shall devote my time to teaching my student-sibling the ways of youth."

"Hold on!" Neji tried to stop them, "You two can't –!"

"Then let us charge on with _**full power**_! It's time to burn hot as the sun! Come Lee! Sasuke!"

"Hold it!"

The two beasts froze right outside the doorframe, with little Sasuke tucked under Gai's arm.

Kakashi was impressed. Iruka's single shout had stopped Gai's rampage, a feat that all his years of passive aggressive sarcasm had never accomplished.

Naruto gaped at his sensei, then at the Green Beasts and back again. Sakura released a breath of relieved air. Neji's face relaxed – to the point where he looked as though Sasuke had just dodged a falling meteor.

The room was silent.

The beasts remained comically frozen in mid-run, their arms and legs splayed accordingly, their necks straining to look back at the mildly irritated teacher.

"_**I'm **_starting off Sasuke's Know-Your-Village tour."

Gai relaxed, the arm not holding Sasuke falling limply to his side. "With all due respect Iruka-sensei, I called it first –"

"That doesn't matter." Naruto instinctively stiffened at that tone of voice – as did the rest of Iruka's ex-students. Kakashi's eye widened: the man had a gift. "He's my former – my new student. And it's lunchtime."

A smile immediately crept onto Naruto's face. "Ramen?" he asked hopefully.

"Yup. I'm paying." A full blown grin lit up the blonde's face. Tsunade nodded her approval.

"That would be more appropriate. Iruka will start off the Know-Your-Village mission then."

Iruka smiled. Gai sulked, but relinquished Sasuke, who looked grateful for it. The man had a powerful musk that almost knocked him out cold.

He rallied quickly though, staring at Iruka who stared back.

"Iruka… sensei?"

Mild wonder on his face, Iruka nodded slowly. "That's… really you then, Sasuke?"

The kitten stared back at him with the same expression. "What happened to your ears?"

"My… ears?" He reflexively touched them.

"Wait, Sasuke, you remember Iruka-sensei?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi's response would have crushed the hope in the blonde's voice, if any had been there in the first place.

"Of course. Sasuke was going to the Academy when his clan was still alive."

Sasuke, for all appearances, did not hear the man's mention of his clan. He leaned forward, insisting on his query.

"Your ears, Iruka-sensei! They're… different…"

"What's wrong with them?"

"Don't worry about it," Naruto explained. "Sasuke's head is a little messed up from whoever did this to him. He thinks everyone should look like him."

"My head's not messed up, Naruto!" Sasuke shot defiantly. "I know Iruka-sensei. He looked different. He had –!"

"Sasuke." The kitten quieted at the stern tone. "We talked about this, right? The person who did this to you made you confused."

"But Naruto…"

Naruto shook his head with a gentle smile. Sasuke frowned, but accepted it. Though he pouted and looked at Iruka with disappointment.

Iruka observed the exchange with silent amazement. He did not think Naruto was capable of speaking like that – _**looking**_ like that.

_He's… already grown up._

His vision blurred for a moment, but a quick blink took care of it.

"Sooo," Kotestu bravely, or foolishly, broke the silence, "What happened to him?"

"We don't know," was the short reply by the still-vexed Hokage.

"Can you fix it?"

"Does it look like I can fix it?"

Izumo tilted his head, blinking owlishly at the kitten. "So if this – whatever _**this**_ is (he gestured in the kitten's general direction) – happened to him, does that mean it can happen to any of us?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. A thick silence descended as the weight of the true implications of Sasuke's change lay heavily on their minds. If it happened to Sasuke, slayer of Orochimaru, avenger of the Uchiha, then the only answer Tsunade could give was,

"It's likely."

"And you can't fix it."

"No."

"That's… not good."

"No, it isn't," her eyes met Kakashi's: two sets of steel clashing. "That's why the Sora-ku mission is vital. It's my own fault for not thinking of Nekobaa sooner."

"No. I'm to blame for that, Hokage-sama," said Kakashi without pause. "It was a mission I myself explained to them. I should have thought of her immediately."

Tsunade did not confirm or deny that. "I expect your team to be out of this village within the hour."

"Understood."

"And, as agreed, Naruto will begin his Know-Your-Village mission with Iruka."

"Uh – uh, right," it was natural for him to trip over his words. A world where eating ramen was a mission: Tsunade was grateful that he wasn't floating out of the window by now.

"Well, that's it. Everything's been said, so this meeting is officially –"

Kotetsu's bird, having sat quietly on his shoulder the entire time it was there, found sudden cause to interrupt her. For a ball of fluff that could fit twice over in a child's hand, the messenger's apprentice had a loud chirp.

Sasuke stared at it, calling it over with soft purrs.

The bird leaped off Kotetsu's shoulder and flew over, landing right inside Sasuke's palms. It sat snugly there, chirping happily.

Okay. That was precious. Tsunade did not mind being interrupted for a scene like –

Sasuke's irises shrunk, becoming two pointed ellipses.

There was a sharp flash of silver, and a wet, dying choke that was only audible to the finest of ears. To that point, Kakashi cringed.

One of Sasuke's claws, grown longer than the rest, had sunk up to his fingertip into the bird's neck, cleanly severing its spine.

The creature was small, almost too small for a child's hand. But it was still a bit big for Sasuke.

It took two bites. The head and neck first. Then the rest of its body.

There was a little blood, but Sasuke was clean, just like his Nii-chan taught him to be.

Though even teeth as sharp as his had a bit of trouble with the bones; he had to crunch down on them loudly to pulp them down.

Still, some of them were too long and sharp to swallow. And the beak was a nuisance. The feathers – it was obvious. So he spat those out, tapped Naruto's wrist and deposited them into the blonde's pale palm when it came up.

Satisfied, he curled up in Naruto's other arm, nuzzling and purring softly into his shirt. It was time for another nap.

And with the room so nice and quiet, Sasuke fell asleep right away.

Anyone else who had witnessed what just happened would probably have trouble with sleep for the next few nights.

Except for Sai. He only smiled and said, "He's a cat. It's natural."

That made no one feel better.

Finally, Tsunade broke the silence, her voice crisp if not a little dazed. "Naruto."

"Yeah?" the blonde was still staring at the bones in his hand.

"What have you been feeding him?"

"Fruit. Milk. Tuna."

"Ah. Add some more meat to his diet. Beef. Chicken…"

"Yeah. Okay."

* * *

"Miso?"

"Yes. It's delicious, and the nice jii-chan (Naruto ignored the glare he received from said 'jii-chan') made an extra small bowl just for you. So eat up."

Sasuke looked at the oily broth. He grimaced.

"Kaa-san said ramen isn't good for you to eat all the time."

"Sasuke, have you ever tried it?"

"No."

"Then this is your first time. Now hurry up, before it gets cold."

Sasuke watched as Naruto noisily slurped up a shower of noodles from his bowl, his face flushed with relish.

He swallowed. It did look pretty good.

He took up his chopsticks, which Naruto sliced in half to make a workable pair for his tiny hands, and slurped up a few noodles.

Only when he looked up did he realise that Naruto had stopped eating to watch him. There was a slightly nervous smile on his face.

"Well? How is it?"

Sasuke swallowed and looked to the ceiling thoughtfully. "Pretty good!"

Naruto grinned. "I knew you'd like it."

Sasuke took up the white and pink fishcake slice and nibbled on it affectionately. Naruto's smile grew wider.

"The soup's kinda sweet," Sasuke continued. "Like that bird I ate."

Naruto choked on his ramen. The wholly unnatural sound, wrong by its very existence, made Teuchi whip round so fast he almost splashed the entire countertop with noodles.

After apologies, Naruto leaned down until he was eye level with Sasuke.

"Never mention eating the bird ever again, okay?"

"Okay," was the nonplussed response.

"And never eat another bird like that again, okay?"

Sasuke looked aghast. "But Naruto they're so good! Nii-chan used to catch them for me all the time and –"

"Sasuke, please. Just promise me you won't eat another bird like that again."

"But _**Naruto**_ –!"

"_**Please**_, Sasuke. Never again. Promise me."

"But –"

"I _**need**_ you to promise me."

Sasuke fidgeted, not wanting to make that promise. "Can I eat it if I'm dying?"

Naruto's head dropped in open frustration. He ignored the sympathetic 'tut' from his unhelpful teacher who sat on Sasuke's other side.

"Fine. If you're dying, and the bird is the only thing around, and you don't have any access to a fire, or anything that could make a fire, or a bolt of lightning, and there's NOTHING ELSE… then you can eat the bird."

Sasuke hesitated. "Bolt of lightning?"

"Sasuke! Just promise me, okay?!"

The kitten pouted. "Okay. Promise."

"Thank you."

The three ate their ramen in silence after that. Iruka glanced at Naruto, who was on his third bowl, and Sasuke who watched him with a mix of awe and nausea.

He glanced around the shop. They were the only ones there – Daikoku's genjutsu was great for keeping a bunch of curious onlookers away.

It was his way of apologizing for dragging Iruka into their mess. A poor apology, really, since it was not even for Iruka's sake, but the Chūnin let it go.

Getting mobbed would not be a good first experience of Konoha's public for the little kitten anyway. The privacy the genjutsu offered was comforting. Though it did seem to keep out new customers. He reminded himself to dispel it as they were leaving.

With a sigh, Iruka reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rolled up report with several pages. He slid it over to Naruto, whose eyes widened when he read the front cover.

"It's the report on Pain that Shizune-san put together. Every Chūnin and Jōnin class shinobi in the village received one. I read it."

Naruto looked at him, his face blank with confusion.

Iruka tapped the report. Hard. "Did you _**really**_ fight someone like this, Naruto? And the only thing that happened to you was chakra exhaustion?"

Sasuke was staring at him. Teuchi had stilled. Naruto swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah. Pain was… _**is**_ something else. He's on a whole different level from anyone I've ever met. Even Ero-sennin and Baa-chan."

Naruto looked up. Iruka's lips grew rigid. Inside Naruto's eyes was real fear.

"He calls himself a god. And he has the power to back it up. If Ero-sennin hadn't come up with a good plan, I probably wouldn't be here."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, that ending was kind of abrupt huh? That's because this and the following chapter were supposed to be one but, well, word count so… you get a double update, yay!**

**Hopefully the plot's moving along at a nice pace. I sometimes get the feeling that it's too slow. **

**Also, I had a serious love-hate thing with this chapter for a long time. One minute I'd be all, 'I hate this, it's so stupid, the setting is terrible, there has to be a better way to write this,' and in about half an hour I'd be, 'it's really complete and says everything I want to say and I can't change a thing.' And so it went for a few weeks, along with obsessive editing. **

**Hope the end product was worth it.**

**Fun Fact: The Know-Your-Village mission is based on my own country's 'Know Your Country' tours. Yeah… hope I don't get sued. **

**See you all soon!**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Warning for this chapter: swearing and innuendo. Courtesy of Kiba and Jiraiya. I'll let you guess in which order.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Kiba Inuzuka was irritated. After the meeting, he thought taking a walk through the village would lift his mood, but it had not helped.

But this was nothing new. Ever since hearing that his big sister had been the one to (literally) sniff out Sasuke, his irritation over his own skills kept nipping at his skin like Akamaru did during their early days together.

He was useless in the last mission. No doubt about that. All he did was get beaten up by one enemy, and kicked to oblivion by another.

He thought he was strong. Better than that dead-last Uzumaki, anyway. He could run circles around him back in the day. And he really only won in the Chūnin exams because of dumb luck and opportune bowel movements.

But since then, Naruto had only gotten stronger. He had fought Pain, the leader of Akatsuki, and had come away with mere chakra exhaustion. Kiba had read (skimmed) the report from Shizune. One that heals any injury besides total cellular destruction and severing of nerve and chakra networks.

In other words, only one jutsu in a thousand would do enough to permanently damage the guy. And even then, all he had to do was get another corpse.

That was the ability of just one of them.

Kiba knew he and Akamaru weren't just lying around – they were definitely getting stronger. But Naruto was reaching – no, had already reached another level a long time ago. And he was only getting higher.

Kiba grinned wildly, his fangs glinting in the sunlight. That irritated him. And made him extremely happy as well.

He would not give up. He'd get strong enough to stand by Naruto's side, whenever he needed him.

And Sasuke…

Kiba paused. Then nodded.

He would protect Sasuke. He had never liked the old version. But the dog-boy had no particular aversion to cats – they did not discriminate in their home – and this little cat's… spiciness reminded him of Akamaru in a way.

Plus, seeing Naruto get disciplined via claw-poking was entertaining.

Akamaru whined and nudged his hand.

_Well speak of the devil._

There he was, sitting on a short dock overlooking the lake, the only other sizeable body of water in Konoha besides the Naka River. Kiba stopped, staring down the grassy slope at his comrade who looked…

Upset.

Kiba tilted his head. Then shook out his hair.

"Know-Your-Village mission huh?"

* * *

"Well Sasuke-chan, the Inuzuka are a noble clan of Konoha. We specialize in taijutsu mostly, cooperating with our ninken to pull off powerful attacks that deliver devastating damage to our enemies. Also, by focusing chakra to our noses, our senses of smell can surpass that of any other animal or shinobi in the entire world, allowing us to pick up scents from great distances."

"How far?"

"Hm, I can go for fifteen kilometres usually, and eighteen on a good day." Sasuke's ears drooped. "Oh, but don't worry Sasuke-chan! I trained hard for years to get to that level. Your distance of 70 meters is quite impressive. I was years older than you before I could smell that far."

The kitten cheered up a little. "So, to continue… well I kinda said everything, didn't I? The Inuzuka are a proud breed of warriors who use our great strength, our bonds with our beloved companions, and our superior noses to serve and protect Konoha and all its inhabitants. And I trust that it will be like that for many more generations to come."

Naruto stared. Sasuke smiled. Kiba scowled.

"I told them all that already Sis."

Hana, kneeling next to a large pen full of playing, nibbling and rolling puppies, did not even acknowledge her brother, only turned to Naruto.

"Did he say all that?"

"Uh, well…"

"He just said that the Inuzuka were the best and coolest clan in Konoha who use their totally badass skills to save all the civilians and unfortunate ninja not blessed with such awesome talent on a day to day basis."

"Sasuke – you little –!"

_Now you know my pain, Kiba. _

Sasuke, perched comfortably on Akamaru's back, stuck out his tongue at the fuming Inuzuka.

"You've only gotten smaller you little brat, you haven't changed one bit!"

_It's nice to be understood, even if it is Kiba._

"It's your own fault for saying something so ridiculous," Hana scolded, her tone snarling for a moment, making her sound more like her mother.

That was why, despite her gentle disposition, Kiba treaded just as lightly around his big sis.

"And don't use words like 'badass' around Sasuke-chan. He's just a baby."

"But you just –!"

"Kiba," she growled.

Kiba shut up. Naruto snorted. Sasuke ignored both of them, focusing on the animals inside the pen instead.

Hana noticed his gaze. "You want to play with them?"

Sasuke stiffened, recoiling out of instinct.

"Don't be scared. They're the same as Akamaru, only a little smaller." A fresh breeze blew, rustling the grass in the large field behind the Inuzuka compound.

Naruto had never really recognised Kiba as part of a noble family until he saw how big his house was. In terms of property, he was on par with the Hyūgas.

However, most of this property was made up of a wide and open field, bordered with healthy forests for dogs and humans to run, train, or just stretch their legs.

Hana gestured towards the breezy field. "I was just about to let them out for some exercise. But if you want to play with them, you have to let them get used to you inside the pen first. Otherwise they'll just keep running away from you."

She held out her hands for the kitten. Sasuke shot a quick glance to Naruto, who gave his approval. He went to Hana, who hoisted him into the pen.

The reaction was immediate. Every puppy ran, tottered and stumbled to the other side of the pen, where they huddled together in a wary mass, watching the newcomer with obvious distrust.

Something flashed in Sasuke's eyes, something that reminded Naruto too much of his past when _**those**_ eyes followed him everywhere he went.

He stepped forward. Hana held out a hand to stop him.

"Let them come to him."

Naruto waited, watching in fascination. Finally, realising that Sasuke was not going to leave, one brave puppy, a bit bigger than the rest, bounded forward.

Its fur was a deep, lustrous brown. It had a round patch over its right eye that was the shade of copper.

It was obviously the leader of the litter.

The kitten tensed as the puppy, almost matching him in height, came closer.

"It's okay," Hana said softly from behind him. "She's just going to check you out. That's how she protects her friends."

Sasuke remained still as the puppy sniffed him all over, similar to what Akamaru had done earlier, but with much more energy and less discretion.

The inspection ended abruptly with a high pitched yip and a big, wet lick on Sasuke's cheek.

Once again, the reaction was immediate.

Every puppy ran, tottered and stumbled to the kitten, licking, tugging and nibbling every part of him. Sasuke fell over, disappearing under the mass of warm, furry bodies as he was effectively dog-piled.

Kiba and Hana laughed. Naruto did too, though with a tinge of worry as he searched for any sign of black within the white, grey and brown.

Finally, Sasuke popped up for air, his hair and clothes hopelessly rumpled, but his face flushed with laughter. Naruto laughed half out of relief.

"All right," Hana opened the pen. "Go play!"

Sasuke, immediately on all fours, was ahead of them all, bounding with graceful and effortless leaps.

About midway into the field he stopped and looked back to see how far ahead he was. For his arrogance, he was immediately tackled by the puppy who had inspected him earlier, and had remained right at his heels.

Sasuke laughed and charged back, bowling over two of them. The three immediately became a rough-housing heap, with Sasuke emerging victorious. Leaving the puppies tumbling in the grass, he was off again, the rest of the pack chasing after him.

"Oh, impressive," Kiba admitted. "He's already in command."

"You mean their leader?" asked Naruto, his pride overflowing.

"No. That big one's still the leader," Kiba informed him. "He's not the same species, and he's still a newcomer. He's in command for now, but that could shift any time and to any one of them. Leader is something more permanent."

Now Naruto was the one impressed. That was the first time he heard Kiba sound knowledgeable.

The rest of the day passed out in the field. At some point Hana brought snacks for everyone and Naruto chased Kiba around the field five times for stealing his riceballs; at another, Kiba and Naruto joined in the puppies' games, only to get dog-piled in a collaborated attack orchestrated by Sasuke and the leader.

"Those dogs are smarter than they look," Naruto grumbled, falling back into the grass and nursing a few bruises.

"Ninken are different from normal dogs," Kiba grinned. "Their minds are on par with ours."

"That's not really comforting."

"Oh? I think it's awesome."

Naruto eyed his fanged grin then watched as Sasuke, the leader, and a few subordinates tackled each other in what could only be sparring matches.

Sasuke was grinning. The sun was setting, making the blue tinge in his hair stand out and gleam.

Naruto smiled, something warm filling his heart.

Kiba, who had the gnawing feeling that he was forgetting something, finally came to a decision, having observed his two guests for their entire stay. The Inuzuka was stealthy when he wanted to be. He could not call himself a shinobi or an Inuzuka otherwise.

"I'm gonna be straight out," he sat next to the blond. "I don't want the old Sasuke back. I like him just like this and I want him to stay this way."

Hana, who was preparing to lead the puppies indoors for the night, stilled. Her brother had just challenged his friend. And, in an instance so rare she could count them on one hand, he did not use brute force, but words.

He had been thinking about this for a while.

She lowered the fingers she would have used to whistle. This was important: the pups could stay out a little while longer.

Naruto said nothing. He did not move. Just as in Tsunade's office, the light in his eyes disappeared, replaced by satirical dark hues.

Kiba looked out at the sunset. It was huge, sitting right atop the Inuzuka's forest, lighting the treetops aflame with vibrant scarlet.

It was an amazing sight. Sasuke and the puppies stopped their play to watch it, though it was half because they were too tired to play anymore.

Sasuke yawned, his tail and body stretching in sync. He ended up yawning too big and losing his balance, toppling over only to be cushioned by one of his new canine friends.

Sasuke thanked him with a nose bump.

Naruto did not take his eyes off him. He knew very well that the dog-boy next to him saw the wavering film over his eyes.

He rapidly blinked it away.

Kiba was instantly irritated, which he did not hide well. Akamaru lay down next to him, watching the two with interest.

"What about you?" It was not left in the air like a question, but bluntly dropped like a large stone.

Naruto had to answer.

"Idiot." There was nothing of Naruto in that word. Not even his voice. It was mere air shaped into an insult without a beating heart behind it to make it burn.

It was the most disgusting sound Kiba had ever heard.

"Sasuke can't stay like this," he continued, breathing out cold, shaped air. "This isn't him." Those dark shades of paint that were once eyes turned slightly to look at him.

"When Kakashi-sensei and the others come back, they'll bring information about what happened to him. We'll be able to figure things out. We'll get closer to changing him back."

The corner of Naruto's lip turned up. Kiba's stomach convulsed; that _**thing**_ (hell as sure wasn't a smile) on Naurto's face made him _**sick**_.

"I'll help. In any way I –"

Kiba punched him.

* * *

Sasuke, his ears standing straight from the solid thud of fist hitting flesh, whipped around. His eyes widened – Naruto was _**on the ground**_ – and shrunk into pointed ellipses.

He charged on all fours, but did not make it very far.

Every inch of his tail and part of his legs were in the mouths of his newfound friends. Sasuke _**hissed**_. The leader clamped down on his ear, gnawing it softly.

That calmed him enough to throw a questioning glance to the pup. She only settled beside him, commanding the others to let Sasuke go with a short yip.

After a moment, Sasuke sat down beside his friend, watching the scene before him avidly.

If he hit Naruto again…

* * *

Kiba was screaming.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

He was _**livid**_. Naruto stared at him from where he lay in the grass, with wide eyes and a hand held reflexively to his cheek.

"I invite you into my house!" he gestured to their canine audience, "I let you play with our clan's precious _**children**_ –!"

Spittle flecked onto Naruto's face. He made no move to remove it.

"I was straight out with you! And you have the nerve – the bloody _**balls**_ to lie to me?! _**To lie to my face!**_"

He was shaking, veins popping in his clenched fists. His teeth were so gritted that his fangs pierced his bottom lip. Naruto's eyes followed the trickles of blood to the Inuzuka's chin, where they collected into a single drop that dripped into the spiky fur of his coat.

Kiba took a deep breath. Though his feral appearance remained unchanged, his voice was calm.

Like a wolf, waiting for its prey to show weakness.

"I'll give you a second chance." Naruto's painted eyes widened. Kiba gazed furiously at them – imposter eyes that he wanted to shred to ribbons with his claws.

"Because you are a fellow comrade of the Leaf."

The imposter's mask shattered. Naruto's eyes were his again.

Whether from surprise, sentiment or both, Kiba did not know. But he knew what was important; the imposter was gone. _**This**_ Naruto would tell him the truth.

"You really want _**that**_ Sasuke back?"

Naruto shook. Kiba could see him trying to turn back into the imposter, but it just wouldn't work.

Kiba smirked.

"You _**like**_ being nearly killed all the time? Being told things like, 'you're a relic of my past' and 'I can kill you on a whim' and other things that are worse than a fucking curse?! Are you some sorta masochist that doesn't _**like**_ being loved?"

Movement – a solid crash of knuckles on flesh – and Kiba hit the ground, his face throbbing.

Naruto, standing and holding out a bruised fist, choked.

Kiba grinned. _**There**_ he was.

"Do you want this Sasuke gone?" He slowly stood.

"No." That response, quicker than his fist, shook Naruto with its force.

"Then why'd you say you'll help them change him back?" Naruto stared at him, at his growing grin. "You're a straight out guy like me man. I get you. You don't gotta lie."

His teeth gritted; his eyes plainly bore his conflict.

"It doesn't work on me. Besides, lying like that just stresses guys like us out anyway." He ended with a clumsy laugh.

Just like that, Kiba won his challenge. With eyes still in turmoil, Naruto surrendered with a silent nod.

The Inuzuka glanced away, idly wiping the blood off his chin. He was embarrassed now.

"If Kakashi-sensei really does come back with stuff to change Sasuke back, well, I'll help you with whatever you wanna do. I already decided that I'm on your side. And that I'll protect Sasuke. So… yeah!"

Akamaru made a rolling sound in his throat that sounded like he agreed. Hana secretly smiled.

Naruto slowly looked towards Sasuke, who had not taken his eyes off of them. Every muscle in the little cat's body was tense, every hair on end. His pupils were slits, and glowed slightly in the growing darkness.

Too far away to hear the details of their conversation, the kitten was none-the-less ready to tear Kiba's throat out if he put a hand on Naruto again.

"Waa," said Kiba, seeing that look in Akamaru too many times, "He's really ready to kill me over there. That's my bad, I forgot that you two are partners like us," he said, landing a few solid pats on Akamaru's neck.

And in the midst of his internal battle, Naruto smiled – Sasuke blinked – and gave the kitten a thumbs-up.

Sasuke's ears twitched and, in a motion missed if one blinked, he was _**running**_ on all fours. When he leaped into Naruto's arms, the ninja was knocked back a few steps.

"Hey, I'm okay," Naruto half-laughed, wiping some dirt from his face. Sasuke purred, worriedly nosing the growing bruise on his cheek. "Hey c'mon I get beat up worse than this on most missions."

At the horror in Sasuke's eyes, Naruto knew that was the _**wrong**_ thing to say.

"I – I mean –" he flashed a cocky grin, "I'm the Great Naruto Uzumaki kid!" He pointed to the risen purple flesh on his face, "A little scratch like this can't bring me down. I can take a hundred, no _**a**_ _**thousand**_ of these before you need to start worrying."

Sasuke blinked innocently. "Really?"

Naruto nodded. Sasuke's face softened in relief. He nuzzled his bruise again, and Naruto got a good whiff of him.

"Wouf, Sasuke you stink!"

The kitten gasped, highly offended.

His indignant response was interrupted by Hana's brisk whistle, which also hid her smile.

"They all need a bath. Sasuke-chan should come too, we've got extra washbasins."

* * *

"Hey Kiba."

It was night.

"Huh?"

The stars twinkled in a cloudless sky and a cool breeze blew.

"How'd you know about that stuff Sasuke said?"

Sasuke was sleeping, huddled together with the litter of freshly bathed puppies on soft blankets. The leader lay over his waist, looking protective even in sleep.

"What stuff?"

The babies' bellies were full of warm milk and they slept deeply, embraced by warmth inside and out. Naruto did not want to disturb them, but he knew he had to.

"That stuff like 'I can kill you on a whim.'" Those words choked him slightly, but he did not show it.

Kiba glanced at him. Naruto nonchalantly scratched at his shirtless chest.

"Sai."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. He only said one word. "Why?"

"He wanted to know if you were a masochist."

Naruto slowly turned to face the dog-boy. "What."

"Yeah. He was just starting to understand about bonds and stuff. But then he wondered if what he saw between you and Sasuke were bonds, or masochism on your side."

Naruto stared.

Kiba scratched his temple. "He almost came to you first, but then he thought that Sakura might hit him. So he came to me. Something about the both of us being loud and dickless. I punched him."

Naruto continued to stare. Oh, he would find Sai tomorrow and have a nice long 'chat' with him.

But first he had to deal with Kiba.

"So."

"So?"

Sasuke turned, mewling softly in his sleep.

"What'd you tell him?"

"That when it comes to your tastes, you prefer the whip and –"

In a quick moment, Naruto sat atop of Kiba, raising a fist to cave his face in. Akamaru, who lay next to the litter's bed, made no move to help his partner.

"Bonds! Bonds! I told him about bonds!"

"I don't believe you," Naruto cocked his fist back further.

Kiba's smile faltered. He really was in no position to defend himself. "I swear I did. You can ask Sai yourself." Kiba's eyes widened. "On second thought, don't ask him. I got kinda sappy."

Naruto managed to keep a straight face for two seconds before it crumpled into laughter. He got off the Inuzuka just as the door to the den opened.

Hana walked in, carrying Naruto's freshly cleaned clothes.

Naruto, only in his boxers, was grateful. The puppies' shed was warm, but sitting out in his underwear was still a little uncomfortable.

"Sorry about that. When Dōmaru got away from me, I didn't expect her to jump into Sasuke's bath like that. You really got drenched."

"No mind, no mind," Naruto muttered, quickly getting dressed. Being naked in front of Hana was more than a little embarrassing, though she genuinely did not mind, having seen Kiba in boxers and less all the time. The dog-boy had no shame in his own house, despite the many yellings, beatings, and thrown objects at his head he received from his mother and sister.

Naruto glanced at the puppy lying over Sasuke. It had surprised him that the leader of the litter, Dōmaru, was a 'she'.

"I'll bring back Kiba's baby clothes tomorrow."

"Oh, keep it," Hana smiled, though it was more at Kiba's crimson blush than anything else. She handed over Sasuke's clean clothes in a paper bag.

"Orange," Kiba smirked.

"Shut it." He turned to Hana. "It's really okay that I keep it?"

"Kiba's not going to wear it anymore, and at the rate he's going no one else will either."

"What's that mean Sis!" Kiba's voice cracked.

"You see?" she sighed, shrugging helplessly to Naruto, who laughed.

It was short-lived and half-hearted.

Kiba turned to him. "Oi, Naruto, you're not still –"

"I've gotta get going."

He reached for Sasuke, trying to pull him discreetly out of the furry mass huddled closely around him.

Obviously, this failed.

One by one the puppies, sensing something amiss, started whining even before they opened their eyes.

Dōmaru tried to hold on to Sasuke with her front paws, but Naruto was too strong. Her eyes shot open as Sasuke was pulled free and she scrambled over her siblings, barking at the one responsible.

Akamaru threw one deep boom of a bark at them and the litter instantly settled down, though they stared at Naruto with forlorn eyes.

Dōmaru whined. Sasuke reacted; his ears twitched and his eyes slid halfway open. From where he lay in Naruto's arms, he glanced down at his friend and tugged on Naruto's shirt, pulling him to crouch.

After an affectionate nose bump, Sasuke's eyes closed. Dōmaru gave Naruto a sour look as he straightened.

"I'll bring him back to play some time," he promised. Dōmaru, unable to pick up the scent of any lies, was mollified. She made to follow Naruto out, but Hana stopped her, putting her and the rest of the litter back to bed.

Kiba walked him out to Konoha's streets. Before the blond leaped for the rooftops, he threw a short glance to his host.

"Thanks."

He was gone before Kiba could smirk.

* * *

The dog-boy returned to his compound. Akamaru trotted out to meet him, meaning that his Sis managed to get the kids sleeping again, or at least calmed down.

"Looks like the Inuzuka clan's part of Sasuke's Know-Your-Village tour was a success."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "The kid's pretty all right –"

Kiba froze.

He _**knew**_ he had forgotten something.

"However," the voice came from his left. Kiba felt a familiar shudder crawl over his skin like a hundred insects. Ironic, really.

"I cannot congratulate you. Why? Because you forgot about our arrangements to take Sasuke out for barbecue, and have him properly meet all of us. Together."

Kiba flinched, feeling more presences show up. "Uh, yeah…"

"That was quite unyouthful, hoarding little Sasuke and Naruto-kun here all to yourself."

"W-well, I really didn't expect them to stay that long –"

"And it looked like Sasuke was sleeping," Tenten sighed, "I wanted to get to hold him at least once."

"Tsunade-sama said that Sasuke should eat more meat, but you ruined his diet Kiba."

"Chōji, you just really wanted barbecue for yourself," Tenten quipped.

"We shall still eat barbecue. Why? Because I already made reservations, it would be rude to waste –"

"How'd you guys know Naruto was here, anyway?" Kiba had long learned to ignore the flare of annoyance and hurt that rose from Shino whenever he was interrupted.

"Um… I…"

"Oh, Hinata. Shoulda known."

"Sorry Kiba-kun, but I sort of wanted to hold Sasuke-chan too."

"What is up with you guys and holding him?"

"Um… well… he's really cute." Kiba was about to pry, but she was blushing, so he ended up sighing instead.

"Sai-sama? There are many things happening here that I do not understand."

"Don't worry Tori, I'll explain them all to you later. Everyone. It's almost time for our reservation."

"Oh, right, just lemme get –"

"You are no longer invited, Kiba," Shino said coolly. "Why? The purpose of the barbecue was to have everyone start on common ground. But you forgot about us and hoarded baby Sasuke, thereby one-upping us in the Know-Your-Village mission. Therefore, you have no reason to attend."

"Wha – but I –"

They left.

Kiba was sad, until he went to bed and promptly forgot about the entire incident ten minutes later.

* * *

While the structure of government in the Village Hidden in the Leaves worked with a standard of fairness towards all shinobi, there were some positions of office that undeniably held certain perks.

The Hokage's advisor was one of them.

Besides the greatly improved living quarters and lofty status, one had a perfectly viable excuse to see the most beautiful Hokage the Leaf has ever produced any day, any time of day, and for any reason, even if it was no reason at all.

This was the one perk that Jiraiya had no problems taking advantage of.

He had never been made to regret it.

Though standing stunned under the unbelievable words Tsunade had just spoken to him did make him wish he had at least had dinner before coming to see her.

But that would have ruined his pretence for asking her out. Not a date, two government officials eating out together on one of Konoha's lovely evenings could not be called a date.

At least that was what Tsunade was still naïve enough to believe. It was one of her rare strains of cuteness that Jiraiya found endearing, and quite easy to take advantage of.

Unknowingly, however, her words had saved her from the 'platonic' outing.

Jiraiya's invitation died on his tongue, leaving silence and insensible mutterings in its ashes. Finally, an all-intelligent response pulled itself through the decay of past propositions and into the light.

"What?"

Tsunade frowned. She sat at her desk, her fingers folded beneath her chin, the setting sun giving her hair a burning glow.

"You heard me."

"Yeah. But I can't believe it," came the candid response. Tsunade's frown deepened. Jiraiya blinked rapidly.

"Tsuande, you want to give me Danzō's arm?"

"In layman's terms, yes."

Jiraiya's lone arm flopped limply to his side. "No."

Tsunade was flabbergasted. "Why?"

"It's Danzō's _**arm**_," he said; that statement alone explaining the great waves of disgust that churned his empty stomach. "For one thing, Naruto would never forgive me!"

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. Jiraiya stiffened. They were the same in terms of raw speed, but Tsunade could augment hers much more easily than he could.

In other words, if she came after him, he had a very slim chance of escaping.

"I said in layman's terms, Jiraiya. Surely you can understand the nuances."

"That doesn't mean I have to like them."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Now you're just being stubborn. I _**told**_ you that I completely separated my grandfather's cells from Danzō's. _**None**_ of Danzō's cells are going to be in the replica arm I'm making for you."

"But you still harvested the cells from…"

"Yes. That arm was my only source."

"And you're using the bone structure and tissue –"

"All right, yes. I'm using that arm as my basic blueprint. It's the best I have to work with. But the base of your arm will be my grandfather's cells… _a.. ..ll a.. m..uf..y..wn_."

"What?" Her voice had gotten soft there, parts of the words falling away into nothing. "What was that last part?"

Tsunade 'tch'ed' and averted her eyes, her cheeks very, very slightly pink. She would swear on her three foot stack of gambling debts that the colour came from her make-up.

"I put some of my cells in there. The vitality of grandpa's cells could fool anyone, and would have more than sufficed, but I felt the arm would be more stable if some cells came from someone alive. It's probably unnecessary but I didn't want to take any chances. This way, you probably won't have to keep fighting against grandpa's chakra like Danzō did, and you won't have to wear those braces and… _**stop looking at me like that dammit!**_"

Jiraiya was smiling at her like Dan had smiled at her a lifetime ago. And it was starting to make her feel the same way.

"You're wonderful, Tsunade." It was said as a simple truth. Tsunade's heart did not beat too fast; those kinds of things were for Sakura to experience now. It was past her time.

Her pulse did become a little stronger though.

But Jiraiya's smile was fading, and the beat of her heart mellowed with it.

"You still don't want it?"

The corners of Jiraiya's mouth tightened. "I understand that the arm itself won't have anything of Danzō. But…"

"But?" Tsunade encouraged.

"It still feels like he's _**helping me**_ somehow. I can't stand that."

"Because of Naruto?"

Jiraiya lowered his eyes. "I didn't say anything. Danzō stood right there, humiliating Naruto, _**degrading**_ Naruto, and I didn't say anything. I didn't do _**anything**_."

"That's only because I was busy saying everything. And then I crushed the same boy I tried so hard to defend. I'm far worse than you, Jiraiya."

"That's not true. You still _**said something**_. I just –"

"What could you have said?" Jiraiya fell silent. "As much as I'm loathe to admit it, Danzō had us. Nothing you said could have helped. You're a top-level shinobi. We're not the type to say pointless things."

"It wouldn't have been pointless. It would have let Naruto know that I _**believed**_ in him, that I acknowledge and value his efforts, that I –"

"Stop." Jiraiya did. "When has Naruto ever doubted that?" She pointed a finger at herself. "I'm the one he doubted and hid from afterwards. He's always been open to you."

She leaned forward, unconsciously showing more of her cleavage than she wanted. Jiraiya could not even enjoy the view.

"That boy loves you. The day he doubts you is the day he acknowledges that ramen did not descend from heaven."

Jiraiya could not help a chuckle. He smiled, some of the heaviness in his features lifting. One weight remained, however.

"I still don't think he'll forgive me for letting Danzō help me like that."

"I don't think he's that spiteful, Jiraiya."

"It's not that, I just –"

"All right. I'll summon him here and ask him myself."

"What? No!"

"No?" her voice was flat. "I'm the Hokage, Jiraiya. I do have some authority to do as I please."

Jiraiya finally snapped. "Is there some mission you want me to go on or something? Why do you want me to get this arm so bad?" Tsunade froze. Jiraiya shrugged helplessly. "I'm not the only shinobi in the village who's lost an arm. A normal prosthetic will work fine. Why are you going so far for me?"

Tsunade's eyes moved slightly as she searched for an answer.

Finally, with flawless diplomacy, she spoke. "Strength. For all that Danzō was, he was strong. The Hokage's advisor is also his support. If you're not at full strength, you won't be an asset."

"You're saying that Homura and Koharu are at satisfying strength? The last time I saw them fight they were barely past Naruto's level. Even with one arm I'm still –"

"You're stronger than them, true. But you aren't…" her voice was steady. But somewhere, an undertone shattered.

"You aren't strong."

He knew better than to respond with the first pulse of indignant anger that rocked through him. He wanted the words he spoke to her now and onwards to be untainted by emotions that would fade. But, no matter how much time passed, he was sure that these next words would always be true.

"That's the worst you've ever insulted me, Tsunade."

Tsunade pressed her lips together. "It's true," she shot it out harder than she wanted. "Like this – you aren't strong like you were before. You're not the Jiraiya I knew before."

"I'm still –"

"I know. You are strong."

"You're contradicting yourself."

"I forget!" She was standing, her palms pressing dents into her desk, staring at him with wide eyes that were always too honest.

"I forget sometimes. You have _**one arm**_ Jiraiya. You lost your arm when you should have lost your _**life**_. And when I look at you now, I think about how close you came to dying, I think about how I just let you act _**cool**_ one last time and stride off to your final battle, and I feel _**bad**_ for you. I feel bad for _**myself**_. And…

"I forget how strong you truly are.

"And I'll keep forgetting. And soon it'll be natural, and I won't remember at all. I don't – I _**won't**_ let that to happen. I need you to get that arm… so that I _**can't**_ forget."

Quiet settled in the office; silence into which the sound of Tsunade's breathing permeated. She stared down at her desk, unable to look at Jiraiya. After saying all she had, there was no way she could look him in the eye.

Jiraiya came to her.

Slowly, softly, his steps stirring the silence into something lighter. Something that made it easier to breathe. A moment after the steps stopped, right in front of her, a rough palm gently touched her face. She looked right into the same smile as before. This time, she could not yell, or say anything at all.

"You're an idiot, Tsunade." She took no offence to that. "These days, that seems to be true of all the people I'm fond of. I wonder if it's because I'm an idiot too."

With a tenderness that made something in Tsunade's chest tremble, he brushed a lock of hair from her face.

"All right then," his voice dropped to a deep husk. "If it'll make an idiot like you feel better, I'll get the arm."

He was stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. Tsunade stood still, mesmerised by his touch.

"But more than that, I'll live everyday by your side," he was drawing closer, and Tsunade did not stop him, "and I will make sure," they were inches apart, "that you will _**never**_ forget."

Tsunade came to her senses then and jerked back, banging her chair into the wall behind it. Jiraiya smirked.

"Damn. Almost had you that time."

"You old pervert!" Tsunade yelled. No amount of make-up could have explained the redness of her face. "You just never quit, do you?!"

"Nope," Jiraiya chuckled, then turned serious for just a moment. "I meant every word I said though. I told you before, I'm not leaving you. I'll stay by your side the rest of your life, as your advisor, as your friend…" he paused. Tsunade stared. "… and as anything else you want me to be," he finished with a smile and a shrug.

Tsunade scowled. Her cheeks were still too red. "Well, that's good enough for now, I guess."

* * *

Jiraiya unlocked the door to his apartment. The stump that had once been his left arm ached with phantom pain.

In the end, he never did ask her out for dinner. His stomach grumbled – looked like he was eating alone tonight. Nothing new.

He opened the door and stepped into his home, shaking his head to rid it of its gloominess. There was tomorrow. There were all the tomorrows for the rest of his life. He'd get another chance.

The first thing to hit him was the aromatherapy coming from the decorated pot of incense near the door. He sighed, and doused the thing with water from one of the vases filled with freshly picked flowers. His living quarters had been upgraded since his promotion. He now lived in a top floor penthouse, in a building almost as tall as the Hokage's tower. One thing he could say, the housekeeping staff here did their jobs too well.

He sighed again. The extravagance really did not suit him, but Tsunade insisted. He supposed this was her way of being grateful that he wasn't dead, as well as a punishment for leaving her and walking off to his death like a nihilistic hero.

No, this was strictly a punishment. Tsunade knew well that all he wanted was a roof over his head, a desk or good floor on which to work on his novels, and a warm, soft place to rest his head at the end of the day. Now if only she had accepted his offer to _**be**_ that warm and soft place, that would have been the perfect… apology…?

Jiraiya stared. Opposite his front door was a large, curved window. Sitting inside the window frame, with one leg dangling outside was a very familiar blond apprentice, stroking the head of a now-just-as-familiar kitten who slept in his lap.

Jiraiya closed the door behind him.

Naruto did not turn around. He simply stared outside at the sprawl of shorter buildings with shadowed eyes.

When Jiraiya did not move for a few minutes, the apprentice spoke.

"Do whatever you want Ero-sennin. Take a shower, eat, even sleep if you need to. I don't mind." The hand stroking Sasuke's head trembled in mimicry of his wavering voice.

"But." He stopped and tried to clear his throat silently. It was futile. Jiraiya heard him. "But (his voice did not sound any more solid) if you've got any time at all, can we talk, Ero-sennin?"

And suddenly, all phantom aches disappeared, and Jiraiya's hunger vanished.

* * *

It never ceased to amaze Naruto just how different Konoha looked at night. The people, the buildings, even the winds that blew felt different; darker, cooler, charged with a different energy.

It was not a bad thing. In fact, it created the perfect ambience for the Master and Student who sat amidst the Fourth's stony locks to talk.

Though, they did not do so right as they arrived. A good ten minutes passed before one of them spoke.

"Ah! Look!"

Jiraiya looked. All the former students of his godson's generation, except for those on the mission with Kakashi, were entering Yakiniku Q.

"Oh look the Tori girl's there too," he noted.

"Who? Ah! That Sai bastard has a girlfriend?!"

"It's not really like that –"

"Quiet Nawuto."

"Hehe, sorry 'suke."

They settled into silence again, though Naruto soon started grumbling.

"They could've invited me."

"It's too late to invite you somewhere, Naruto," Jiraiya informed him.

"What d'you mean? I'm not a hundred percent but I don't need nearly as much sleep as before…" he faltered at Jiraiya's stern look. It was the one where he wanted him to figure out something painfully obvious on his own.

Naruto thought on it, absently stroking the sleeping Sasuke's head.

Stroking Sasuke's…

"Oh."

"Yup. You've got considerate friends. You're lucky."

"Hehe…"

Silence reigned for the third time that night. It was a cloudless night; if Sasuke was awake, they could watch the stars together.

Naruto blinked. He never thought that this would be the capacity in which he finally understood Shikamaru's cloud gazing.

"Naruto." The boy turned to his sensei expectantly. Jiraiya leaned back a little. "Start."

"Huh?"

"Talking."

"Huh…?"

Jiraiya's hand jerked upward, aiming for his forehead, but fell to his side before reaching it.

"You called me out here to talk. So talk."

Naruto blinked twice; the second time was slow with pure anxiety clouding his eyes. The corners of Jiraiya's mouth grew a little tighter.

Naruto swallowed audibly and deeply, as though trying to swallow an army's courage in one gulp.

"You know, today Sasuke had ramen for the first time. He really liked it."

"I see," Jiraiya's voice, gentle and patient, soothed Naruto's heart more than he could ever say.

"I was nervous, 'cause I thought he wouldn't, 'cause the old him never seemed to like ramen. I watched him eat it and I – I felt so…" he moved his arm, trying to think of a word, "… so warm, and peaceful, and happy. Feeling that way just from watching someone eat is kinda weird but…"

Naruto laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I ended up giving him all of my pork. Just like you do with me, Ero-sennin."

"_**All**_ of it?" Jiraiya could not help asking.

Naruto rephrased. "Well, all he could eat anyway. I forgot his stomach's a lot smaller now."

"I see."

Naruto paused, staring out at the artificially lit buildings below. Jiraiya waited quietly. With a short nod to himself, he inhaled a large volume of cold night air. The warmed air left his mouth in a faint cloud.

"Iruka-sensei was there. He got Shizune's report, and he asked about Pain. So I told him: what Pain was trying to do, what Pain believed about the world. I told him about the cycle of hatred. And I realised something."

And then the world grew silent; a testament to the heaviness of the words Naruto was about to speak.

"I realised that I'm just like him."

The world was still silent. But the colours were fading. Jiraiya knew he was sitting on stone, but for the moment, he could not feel anything beneath him. His hair was moving, but he could not feel the wind that blew it.

All that echoed in his world were his godson's horrible words, words that he himself vehemently denied every single day since their encounter with Pain.

Jiraiya, over the course of his long life, had lost a total of four students; one to causes unknown, two to overwhelming grief and subsequent madness, and the last to the very beast sealed within the boy sitting beside him.

Jiraiya had _**sworn**_ that it would not happen again; sworn that he _**would not**_ lose Naruto; not to death; not to twisted 'ideals' about saving the world.

"Why would you say that?" it was a whisper. Naruto did not answer. "You," his voice shook with dread emotion. Naruto's shoulders twitched.

"You are _**nothing**_ like Nagato."

"I am."

"You will _**never be**_ like Nagato!"

"I already –"

"_**Why?**_ Why would you say that?"

Naruto looked down at the sleeping Sasuke and gently stroked his ears, eliciting contented purrs. He smiled, "He's still the weirdest thing I've ever seen," and said in a voice half-resigned,

"I love him, Ero-sennin."

Now Jiraiya was confused. Naruto saw his look and scowled, looking like his normal self for just a moment.

"It's not like that boring crap you write about."

_If it was it would be illegal._

Jiraiya, tossing out his useless thought, clarified, "I wasn't thinking that, you idiot. I just can't see how loving Sasuke would mean that you're just like Nagato."

Naruto lifted his hand from Sasuke, his eyes shining with their earlier anxiety.

"Pain – no, Nagato and Konan were your students, right? Yahiko too."

"Yeah."

"Nagato and Konan really loved Yahiko, right? Yahiko died, and that's probably what made Nagato and Konan what they are now, right?"

Jiraiya was finally beginning to understand. "Naruto, wait –"

But Naruto rushed ahead, his thoughts flying out his mouth beyond his control.

"If Sasuke died I'd be the same way. If someone hurt Sasuke, if someone _**killed**_ Sasuke…"

Naruto's face became blank, his eyes still shining. His words contradicted his expression, becoming louder, flowing faster, carrying with them deeper, darker, more manic emotion.

"They'd die. I'd rip them apart. Gouge out their eyes. Tear the flesh off their bones with my bare hands. Do anything, do _**everything**_ to get my revenge, to make them _**suffer**_, to force them to _**feel**_… (Naruto swallowed and his voice shrunk to a chilling quiet)… to _**know**_ my pain."

He expected Jiraiya to say something then. He did not.

"I _**get**_ Nagato. If Yahiko meant that much to him, as much as Sasuke means to me, I get him. That's why I'm just like him."

He turned to his sensei, his eyes wide with terror. "I'm _**dangerous**_, Ero-sennin. I love Sasuke too much. If something happened to him, I'd completely lose it; I wouldn't be able to –"

And then a large, warm, calloused hand rested on his trembling shoulder, and Naruto stopped.

"Let me start by telling you one thing." Jiraiya met his eyes; they were so warm that Naruto could not look away.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way you feel about Sasuke."

Naruto's lips parted, but he could not speak.

"Loving him too much? There's no such thing. Your love is what saved him. If you regret that, it's a lethal blow to Sasuke's very existence right now; an existence devoid of hate and free of the darkness."

A dark shade, heavily painted, lifted from Naruto's eyes, but there were still many more layers underneath it.

"What if someone hurts him? Ero-sennin, I really will –"

"Like I said, Naruto. There is nothing wrong with the way you feel."

Naruto shook. "But, but…"

"If your love for Sasuke did not exist, neither would your hatred." Jiraiya's eyes darkened as he looked out over Konoha, not seeing the village at all. He was somewhere else entirely.

"When Nagato went after you, I…" Naruto's eyes grew huge. Jiraiya blinked, and with a brisk shake of his head he returned from Amegakure. "If Sasuke got hurt, or killed, your hatred will only prove how much you love him. I cannot call something like that a bad thing."

"B-but Ero-sennin, you said –!"

"That there's too much hatred in this world, right?" Naruto shut up and nodded vigorously. "Exactly. You said you get Nagato. What do you think happened to the man who killed Yahiko then?"

"He's dead," Naruto answered without hesitation.

Jiraiya nodded, also leaving no pause for silence.

"It's certain Nagato already killed the man responsible for Yahiko's death. Yet his hatred did not diminish. It simply moved, from hatred of that man, to hatred of the entire shinobi world. He became twisted, believing that to achieve true peace, millions must be slaughtered. Hatred uncontrolled and uninhibited grew into frightful ambition, creating the Pain we know today.

"He is not the only one. The Sasuke of old was a victim to this hatred. And so are countless others. They become consumed by it, twisted, just like Nagato. It has been part of the shinobi way since shinobi first existed. Even the war that took Nagato's parents and Yahiko from him was birthed from some old hatred between lands, between nations, between shinobi."

"A cycle of hatred," Naruto whispered.

"Yes. To achieve peace, an end must be put to it. We shinobi must find a way to rise above it."

Naruto looked down at Sasuke. His fat cheeks pink from the cool night air, his soft hair gently tousled in sleep, his face so sweet in blissful peace.

"I can't do it. I'll still hate whoever hurts him."

"I'll never forgive you if you don't." Jiraiya was completely serious.

Naruto swallowed. A sound knocked around in his throat that was a crude imitation of a laugh.

"This stuff's still pretty hard, Ero-sennin," he finally admitted.

"Yes," Jiraiya seamlessly agreed. "It is. Even hatred can be righteous." The Sage exhaled. "Even so, I don't believe it will consume you or corrupt you or _**destroy**_ _**you**_ like it did Nagato."

He turned to his student with a gaze fully confident.

"I know you won't go down Nagato's path."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're Naruto. Naruto can, Naruto _**will**_ find a way to peace. I entrusted that to him. So I know he'll do it, because he's an idiot who can't help but do what his Master tells him."

Naruto turned away so Jiraiya would not see his eyes watering. Damn wind.

He looked back when he felt something rest on his shoulder. He took the book from his sensei, flipping casually through it.

"What's this?"

"My Will of sorts." Naruto stared. It was Jiraiya's turn to look away, but neither that nor the red markings decorating his face managed to hide the faint rise of crimson in his cheeks.

"You can read it with Sasuke when you have the chance." Naruto looked horrified. Jiraiya looked stricken. "I wouldn't give you a book like _**that**_ to read with Sasuke! How perverted do you think I am?!"

Naruto opened his mouth. "Do not. Answer that." Naruto closed his mouth and tucked the book in the waistband of his pants.

"By the way, your kitten seems to have found his own way to deal with hatred," Jiraiya noted. "Care to share?"

Naruto smiled, more than happy to share the unique strength of a baby that the adult had never been able to find.

At the end of it, Jiraiya looked genuinely impressed.

"That's something. So he can't hate Itachi because that would be like hating you?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"That's not something a baby could come up with, Naruto."

"I don't think he came up with it. He was just saying what he felt. Sasuke's a pretty emotional guy ya know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's why he had to be all blank and moody all the time. He feels more strongly about stuff than other people. So he always tried to hide it."

Jiraiya was staring at him. "You always knew that?"

Naruto shook his head in a rare stance of humility. "I actually only figured it out while Sasuke was (his features faded a little) mourning his clan."

"Oh."

"He cried and cried for so long… That's when I got it."

Naruto laughed. Its bitterness shook Jiraiya.

"You know, I always thought I knew him best. I thought I knew how much he hurt over the death of his clan. His parents. I didn't know anything. I never even thought about how much he would have cried back then. I didn't think about it at all."

Naruto's jaw set, his eyes turned to steel.

"I'm going to _**end**_ Itachi." Jiraiya was silent, his expression unchanged. He did not even blink. "Train me until I'm strong enough to do it, Ero-sennin."

"For revenge?"

Naruto took a long time to answer. "I don't know what this is," he finally responded. "All I know is that, after all he's done, Itachi can't go around living and doing as he wants. He _**needs**_ to be stopped. Sasuke can't do it now, so I'll take his place. I'll do it for Sasuke and his clan."

The idiot meant it. His eyes were shining just like that time, when a kid bandaged up in a hospital bed just for a moment became strong enough to make a legendary Sannin rethink his words.

"Yeah," Jiraiya felt no compunctions over his deceit. It was for Naruto's sake, as well as Sasuke's. When Itachi died, both of them would be truly free.

"I'll train ya kid. You'll get stronger than me."

_**That**_ was not a lie.

Jiraiya made to call it a night, when his eyes flicked to something that was bothering him for a while now.

"What's this?" he tapped the medicine patch on Naruto's cheek.

"Oh, Kiba punched me."

"Ok. Why?"

"Because I was being a bastard."

Jiraiya stared. Naruto stared back, and smiled.

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Elaborate. Or _**I'll**_ punch you."

Naruto flinched. He had not forgotten that one punch from his master knocked Pain into oblivion, and most of his teeth into Amegakure's Great Lake.

"Well, I insulted him. He invited me and Sasuke into his house and –"

"For the Know-Your-Village mission?"

"Yeah, probably. Anyway, he asked me something, and I lied to him. So he punched me."

"What'd he ask you?"

A shudder shook Naruto's body. Before Jiraiya's eyes could go wide, the blond smiled a fake smile that could rival Sai's. He looked out at Konoha, doggedly keeping his eyes from meeting his master's.

"Hey, Ero-sennin." His voice was too bright, even for Naruto. Jiraiya could already feel himself prickle with anger. If this high-pitched, artificial self was what he showed to Kiba, it was no wonder he was hit.

"Kakashi-sensei's gonna come back real soon, right? When he does, we'll be able to fix what happened to Sasuke. That's good."

"Naruto." Stop. Just stop. That smile is nauseating.

"It's good that we're gonna be able to change him back. It's good that we can even get rid of his amnesia. He'll remember everything again. He'll be the way Sasuke is supposed to be. He'll be the real Sasuke again."

For a moment, Jiraiya said nothing, silently waiting for his bristling anger to pass.

Finally, when he trusted himself to speak, he made one simple statement.

"The real Sasuke, huh."

Naruto nodded, keeping his neck rigid and his eyes on the village walls.

"What does that mean – the _**real**_ Sasuke?"

"Well, what Sasuke was before, um, you know, a rude, strong, arrogant bastard. The first person I've ever had a bond with."

"I see. He was fed hatred, tainted by darkness, and driven to partake of polluted power. You're saying then, that an avenger steeped in darkness was the real Sasuke?"

"Well, yeah, I –" Naruto stopped. He needed to think a bit on this one. "I never wanted Sasuke to go to the darkness," he finally decided on. "I wanted him to be happy and live in the village as a comrade. But," he shook his head, his eyes dulling with pain, "I can't say that Sasuke didn't choose it for himself. He became an avenger. He went to the darkness. The Sasuke I saw at Orochimaru's hideout was bad. Really bad. But he wasn't fake. In that moment, that was the real Sasuke."

"So why try to save him? Why try to bring someone really bad back to Konoha?"

"Because this is where he belongs!" Naruto yelled, already braced for the claw-poke to his stomach. He only winced, but continued more quietly, "Konoha's his home he – he just didn't want to acknowledge that. He said he broke our bonds, but bonds can only break from both sides! (Another claw-poke. Naruto endured it.) Even if – even if he became an international criminal that targeted the Hokage, no, _**all**_ the Kage, I wouldn't give up on him! I'd still try to bring him back to the village! I'd still have a bond with him! It'd be tough, I'd have to fight the real him over and over again until – until – until the real him _**changed**_! Until the real him _**turned**_ from the darkness and revenge and insanity and became… became… the person who has a home, who has friends, who serves and loves his village… the person who's _**best**_ for him."

Naruto stroked between Sasuke's ears; the kitten was growling now, having riddled Naruto's stomach with puncture marks to no effect. Only when he went from growling to purring, and finally fell into deep sleep again, did Jiraiya speak.

"You'd keep fighting huh? True. When it comes to Sasuke, that's all you've ever done." Jiraiya glanced sideways at him with a smile. "That's what you've kept on doing, even now."

"What? Wait, I can't fight Sasuke like this!" he gestured to the sleeping child in his lap. "I'd kill him!"

"I don't mean physically. Ever since you found him, with words, with emotions, with just _**being there**_, you've been fighting to save him from the darkness. And you won."

The tension fled Naruto's shoulders. He never knew how much he wanted to hear those three words until Jiraiya spoke them. Something warm and wet was rolling down his face – must be raining.

Jiraiya's smile grew warmer. A thick, battle-scarred finger slowly lifted and pointed at an untainted face that innocently slept.

"Sasuke faced his clan's death. He faced Itachi. And, with you by his side, he made new choices. Different, but his own. His _**will**_ does not lack in front of his 'before' self. Just like the old one, this Sasuke will walk his path and see it through to the end." He gripped Naruto's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"So you _**can**_ acknowledge him. You're not betraying anyone. Whatever form he takes, your loyalty still lies where it always has, with the real Sasuke."

"It's okay then?" Naruto bundled the kitten up, suddenly hugging him close. "I know! The right thing to do is to change him back. But still," he whispered thickly, scared to bring these words to existence, "part of me – all of me wants him to stay here, like this, with me, a little while longer. Is that really okay, Ero-sennin? It's not selfish at all?"

"Oh, it's definitely selfish." Jiraiya never minced words with Naruto. The boy's expression crumpled a bit. "But then, most issues concerning love are. It's not necessarily a bad thing."

"So…?"

Jiraiya sighed. "As long as you get that we have to change him back, there's nothing wrong with wanting him to stick around a bit longer. I mean hey, the kid's cute."

And Naruto laughed, finally looking like his true self. "Yeah, yeah! I mean, I'd want to change back too, if I was in his place so… That's what I think too! Uh, I mean, geez you're better at saying this stuff. You're more… uh…"

"Eloquent?"

"Yeah! So, um," Naruto was blushing. Jiraiya smirked, amused. "Um, when the bastard really does change back though, um, do you think he'll try to kill me?"

"Oh, his embarrassment and shame will be a wicked force, and as the sole carrier of blame, you will most definitely be killed."

Naruto's complexion turned grey. "Yeah. Thought so. But for now," his voice shrunk as his blush returned. He glanced sideways at Jiraiya, almost coy as he pointed to himself. "Um, I'm the best for Sasuke? Sasuke's really happy with me?"

"The best, huh," Jiraiya pinched his chin, his eyes appraising. Naruto unconsciously sat up straighter. "Nope. Not yet. You need a lot of work." Naruto posture crumpled, dark depression hanging in an almost visible aura around him. "But, that can be fixed," Jiraiya quickly ameliorated. "And Sasuke's not just happy with you. I'd say it's his joy. In case you haven't noticed, he kinda loves you, ya know."

"H-hey!" at Jiraiya's mimicry, Naruto laughed. Sasuke, in his sleep, did not scold him for it.

It was okay if Naruto was loud when he laughed.

"Then I won't have anymore regrets, Ero-sennin. I'll take care of him, and raise him, and I'll become a really, _**really**_ awesome ninja so that I can protect him. I won't let anyone hurt him. Not Akatsuki, not Pain, not Itachi, not anyone. And, if he stays like this for a really long time I'll – I'll even let him become Hokage! I'll be Hokage first, and then when he grows up and gets strong enough I'll pass it on to him. And I'll be his advisor and stay by his side, just like you and Baa-chan. Yeah, we'll both be Hokage. We'll – we'll – aw dammit I'm crying! Seriously what's with me…I'm like Bushy-Brows crying like this! Dammit… geez…"

The circles Ero-sennin rubbed into his back only made him cry more. His master very well knew this, and only smiled softly as Naruto wailed in honest joy.

Sasuke slept, Jiraiya smiled, and Naruto cried.

So in that simple perfection, the night concluded.

* * *

**A/N: I agree Naruto, hatred is pretty hard. These conversations with Jiraiya were a bit tough to get through – I hope I did okay with them. **

**As always, favourite, follow and review as you like.**

**Thanks for reading and see you all next time! **


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am happy to announce that Ser Serendipity has agreed to Beta this fic. Thanks to him this chapter reads much, much, much more smoothly. And also, I'm back to normal Italics. Should make my writing less jarring to the eyes. **

**That's it! Read on and hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

In simple silence, Kakashi's team walked. It was near dawn and the sky, not yet touched by the sun's rays, cast a dreary, yet somehow refreshing greyscale over the barren wasteland. Ino decided that the promise of coming light was what made the monochrome air so invigorating.

In keeping with her family's business, 'up with the flowers' and all that, and her flawless and never broken diet (except once or twice for barbecue with her team – and _only_ for the sake of bolstering camaraderie), she was used to rising with or even before the sun.

So she was not tired like Shikamaru, who had not seemed to stop yawning since they left camp, nor did she have to hide her drowsiness like Neji: having white eyes did him the terrible disservice of illuminating whatever shadows lay under them, faint as they may be.

It surprised her that Neji was not a naturally early riser; he had always seemed too cool and strong not to be. But she could tell that he was struggling, especially with a freely and loudly yawning Shikamaru right next to him.

Yes. Everyone had their surprises.

'_You're funny, Neji-niisan.'_

Finding out Neji Hyūga actually had a sense of humour was jaw-dropping. So was hearing the Hokage say that Naruto was Sasuke's _guardian_.

She said it so casually too, but Ino had her doubts. She had asked Chōji to fill her in about their relationship as much as he could, but, from what little she'd gathered in the office, Sasuke seemed genuinely happy. And Naruto was, well, _glowing_.

She was not best friends with the blond, but she was sure he had never smiled like that before. That kind of smile could make someone famous throughout the five shinobi nations. She was sure Sakura had somehow seen it, even though she refused to look at him at the time.

She had been silent after the meeting, but before Ino left her to go prepare for the mission she had propped herself up on the pillows of her hospital bed. With her left hand strangling her right, Sakura tried to turn pain into a smile and said,

"If they're happy, I'm happy."

'_Who d'you think you're lying to, forehead? You can't even fool a kid with that stupid I'm-gonna-cry-at-any-moment smirk on your face.'_

Surprisingly Ino, who always spoke her mind, did not say any of this. She simply nodded and left. The dumb girl was crying before she fully closed the door behind her. And was still crying when Kakashi silently opened that door a few short seconds later.

The thing was, Sakura hadn't been lying. Bubbling in the depths of green eyes trembling with tears was true happiness. She was really happy. Of course she was. Who wouldn't be happy that Sasuke was out of the darkness?

But, it must hurt. After all, if Sakura was not still very much in love with the Uchiha, Ino would take a kunai to her own hair. Again.

While her best friend/bitter rival quietly suffered, Ino herself still did not know what to feel. She had 'loved' Sasuke, sure, but she was not struggling nearly as much as Sakura. She was still more shocked than anything. But, there was one consensus she had come to.

Sasuke was cute. Almost too cute.

Not perfect though. If his speech had matched the age advertised by those pink, fat cheeks of his; that would have been icing on the cake. But Sasuke spoke too maturely, belying his true age. It was a pity, but even that lost cuteness could have been redeemed if only he spoke like _true_ cat-humans were supposed to talk –!

"What is it?"

The three males in their team, Shikamaru in particular, were staring at her.

"Uh, nothing." She tried to brush it off, even knowing that Shikamaru would not let her.

He spoke immediately, all drowsiness fled under the stern line of his brow.

"Ino, in this type of mission, anything that comes to mind could be crucial."

"It's really nothing."

"You can't decide that on your own. Nekobaa is the only link we have to finding out what happened to Sasuke. She probably isn't in Sora-ku anymore, and Akatsuki is likely to be staking out her premises. Every piece of information or suspicion we have going into this situation helps."

"All right, all right!" Ino gesticulated in frustration. "I'm telling you it won't help, but here goes." She took a deep breath, even as her face turned deep pink.

"I was thinking about Sasuke." Her voice came out smaller than she wanted it to. "I thought he should talk more like a cat."

"What do you mean?" Though his eyes were steady, she could almost see the movements in his mind, as he searched the vast banks of information in his head to predict or supplement what she was going to say.

Ino sighed, loudly. "Nyā."

Shikamaru, and his mind, froze. The other two simply stared.

"What." It was too flat to be a question. Shikamaru had drawn a blank. Ino never thought that something she said would have made that happen.

Her face darkened to red. "He's part cat right? So, I was thinking that he should say 'nyā' more often. Like, 'you're really funny, nyā,' or 'I love Nyaruto lots, nyā,' or something like that."

The winds around them had been blowing nonstop, but at the end of Ino's words, a particularly loud one whistled as it passed, kicking up swirling dust clouds around them. Ino felt as though nature itself was mocking her.

Shikamaru opened his mouth.

"You know, I thought the same thing. So I asked him about it."

Shikamaru closed his mouth and turned slowly to _stare_ at Kakashi.

"What."

Kakashi only smiled with his one visible eye.

"What'd he say?" Ino asked in pure curiosity.

"He laughed and said he grew out of that phase ages ago," was the cheerful response.

The three teens thought on that. Neji gave up first and walked away, muttering something that sounded like 'absurd' under his breath. Shikamaru followed soon after with a mumbled 'troublesome'.

Ino started to go after them, when something somewhat humorous clunked to place in her brain.

She chuckled. "You know, when he talks like that, it sounds like he came from another world."

That stopped the three cold in their tracks. Kakashi kept walking.

"Save your energy," he said, trying to do the same by stifling a large yawn.

"But," Ino jogged up to him, her eyes sparkling as though she had just found the secret of turning chakra into gold. "Another world. Like, alternate dimensions, those places where Summons come from or something. Those exist, right? So Sasuke-kun could have –"

"Been going on his merry way to avenge his clan and just stumbled into an alternate dimension filled with cat-people?"

Ino blushed; it sounded ridiculous when he said it with that flat sarcasm of his. Now she understood Sakura's complaints. Before she knew it, however, he turned a gentle eye on her.

"You're a bit closer with Summons, but their homes exist in the real world. You can walk to any one of them if you know how to get there but," he tapped his hidden Sharingan, "no amount of walking in the world will take you to the world inside my Kamui." Ino's eyes widened, and she stepped a bit closer to him. Shikamaru smiled slightly; she used to be the same whenever Asuma would expound on shinobi knowledge, though she would never admit to it.

"The Hokage, Jiraiya-sama and I all asked our Summons but nothing's gone amiss in any of their realms. Of course, since there are other creatures like Orochimaru's Manda and Enma the Monkey King, our guys are doing a little digging for us on their end. That's partly why we're going to Nekobaa; besides her connection with the Uchiha, she's also a representative of sorts for the Cat Summons. She can ask if they know anything."

"Oh," Ino was smiling a bit. She now also understood Sakura's praise of the man. "But, alternate dimensions…"

"They're possible, but rare. You can't just stumble into one, and even as a dimension user, you can't enter someone else's dimension. It's an iron rule." Kakashi's eye rolled upward. "Besides, dimensions are _used_ by ninja. Even the greatest and most complex ones, like…" Kakashi paused as he thought of something ridiculous, "A massive desert or a sea of acid. They're nothing more than ninja tools, much less planes to support life."

"Oh…" now Ino sounded dejected. "So then, how d'you explain the stuff Sasuke-kun says? Like how he grew out of saying 'nyā', or in the meeting when he made a big fuss about Iruka-sensei's ears?"

"Remember Sasuke's power when this happened to him. From what I heard, he was probably the level of jōnin." Neji's eyes hardened. "At that point, the only way to tame his power would be to wipe out both his body and mind. Making him believe his form is normal was crucial. If he ever escaped, he would hide from others, thinking their appearance too strange for him to approach them. Though, going by how close he's gotten to Naruto, that part of the plan seemed to be a failure."

"Ooh."

"So save your energy. We are here for answers after all."

Ino smiled and nodded. As she walked a little ahead, the three males shared a look, and frowned.

Kakashi's explanation was full of holes. The fact remained that what had been done to Sasuke was overkill. There was no need to turn him into a cat-human of all things, and a child's mentality was debilitating enough without having him think that everyone should have cat ears.

And even with all the effort, it had been a failure. Sasuke escaped, and somehow found his way into Konoha. No, according to Naruto:

"_But then, everything went dark and there was a big WHOOSH and when I woke up I was in this place and I couldn't see or smell Nii-chan anywhere._"

Teleportation? How was that reconciled with mutating Sasuke's body and twisting his memories? Why do that just to drop him smack dab in the middle of his home village?

_Who_? Who was powerful and mad enough to do this?

By the time Kakashi looked up from his futile reverie, they were in front of the abandoned, broken remains of the once bustling city of Sora-ku.

Time for answers.

* * *

Kakashi stood perfectly still, his muscles imperceptibly tensing. He was the only living person in the old basement. The walls around him were cracked from years of neglect. Hanging on them were old scrolls, dusty weapons and shelves on which sat heavy black pots that looked more like cauldrons.

On the wall above the only empty bed in the room, half hidden by dusty and faded velvet curtains that must have looked quite elegant back in the day, was an equally faded but massive Uchiha symbol.

This was definitely the right place.

Kakashi sighed and wished he hadn't, as stale, heavy air that _reeked_ of cats clung to his nostrils and the back of his throat.

He coughed, once, and got to work.

As he rifled through drawers, wicker baskets and boxes that were emptied of anything useful, he wondered at the lack of any other presences.

Sora-ku was abandoned, and they only came here hoping, not expecting to find Nekobaa. But they had not found anyone else other than that strange girl who was curled up in one of the buildings. Neji had seen her anyway of course, but even without the Byakugan, her choice of hiding place was poor. Any chūnin would have found her in five minutes.

She was rather good at running though. When they had gotten too close, she bolted. Since they had been silent (quieter than a mouse's breath according to Kakashi's brutal standards), out of her visual range and suppressing their chakra, Kakashi concluded that she was a sensor.

A good one.

The rest of his team was keeping an eye on her. Neji confirmed that her chakra, while plentiful and quite different, was not strong enough to qualify as a member of Akatsuki. The fact that she had run at their approach only proved this further.

She was not Akatsuki. There were no members of Akatsuki here.

That bothered Kakashi.

He knew he should be relieved and counting his blessings, but he was simply wary. He felt like something terrible was going to happen, but he did not know why.

It was no use worrying about it though. He should be focusing on his own investigation. Shikamaru was likely feeling the same thing he was. Having his brain on the problem, as good as the brains of fifty jōnin, was more than enough.

With that, he hefted down one of the large cauldrons on the shelf. It was emptied recently. He tilted it, and some viscous residue of dark potion slunk silently along the bottom.

Kakashi sniffed inside the pot, dipped his finger and collected a drop of residue. He sniffed it, felt it between his fingers and, in a lightning motion that still did not reveal his face, licked it.

Medicine.

He looked at the other pots, six in total. In the drawers, baskets and boxes he had found tatters and rolls of unused cloth but no clothes. All the scrolls he looked through held nothing useful, but by the clean spaces left in the otherwise dusty floor and walls, there should have been more. Quite a few weapons were gone too, entire boxes worth if the dustless patches meant anything.

Nekobaa was alive. She had fled, taking medicine, clothes, scrolls and weapons with her. She knew Akatsuki would be coming after her.

Which meant she knew, to some extent at least, what was going on.

He returned to the round red rug, as faded as the curtains that partially hid the bed. From Sakura's description, this was where she sat most of the time. He crouched, examining it thoroughly.

It was saturated with cat hair. And, faint to the verge of non-existence, the sweet hint of smoke did not escape his nose. If Akatsuki had killed her, they would have done it quickly. Unable to get away, her blood would have spilled all over the rug, drowning the cat hairs and dousing the tickling aroma with the stench of copper. Unless Akatsuki had restored the scene, but why waste time with that?

But, was this definite proof that she was alive? There were other ways to kill her. They could have even caught up to her after she escaped, and done the deed elsewhere. And didn't she have a granddaughter?

Kakashi shook his head. There was not enough here to make any definite conclusions. He made to leave and bring Neji down, perhaps the Byakugan could –

Kakashi froze.

Space was shifting. It was not wind, though a slight breeze did make the sweat on Kakashi's forehead cold.

Space literally twisted and split apart to reveal a black hole. Orange, red and black whirled out of that hole; by the time the man stood whole, Kakashi's Sharingan was on him.

They stood immobile and silent for a full minute. Kakashi slowly took out a kunai. The Masked Uchiha let him.

Kakashi chuckled.

"You know, you're honestly the last person I expected to see here." The man did not move, but Kakashi sensed that his words had thrown him.

"What do you mean," the Akatsuki intoned. "You did not come here expecting Akatsuki?"

The voice that spoke was deep and cold. Frankly, Kakashi preferred it to the high-pitched whine that scratched his eardrums. So he smiled, though the crimson eye glaring at his opponent diminished the effect.

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean I did not expect _you_ here. I thought that you would have seen and disposed of Nekobaa already."

"She left before I could. It seems," he rumbled, looking around, "that she has been gone for a while."

Something was off. The man seemed… not softer but less intense than the way Sakura described him. Calmer.

The feeling that something terrible was going to happen intensified.

"Why didn't you get to her sooner?" Kakashi had to buy himself time, as much as he could.

The Masked Uchiha let him.

"A detour."

"Is Itachi giving you that much trouble?"

A pause. A chuckle. "So that girl remembered. She's better than I thought."

"Why wouldn't she remember?"

Kakashi could _hear_ him blink. "Did you see her, Kakashi? She looked terrible."

She had. Kakashi remembered the racing of his heart when he had found her, sprawled out cold on the ground with Sai's message in her grip. For one horrible moment, he thought she had…

The Uchiha took a step. _Fool_! Kakashi screamed at himself for letting his thoughts waver even a moment. He gripped his kunai, a jutsu on his tongue before his hands could meet.

The masked man did not make a move. Kakashi swallowed, eyeing him warily. He did not want to initiate the fight if he could avoid it. This guy was an opponent where first moves meant very little, unless they were decisive finishers.

"She's a prize to her village." He continued the conversation as though nothing had happened, and let his empty hand drop. "That still does not explain why you are here, though. I was under the impression that you would be busy chasing after Itachi."

The mask was silent. Kakashi's eyes slowly widened.

"Pain. Konan. Deidara. You. With Kisame and Itachi gone, Akatsuki is pretty short-staffed isn't it?"

"You know that, yet you're asking stupid questions."

"But still," Kakashi ignored the slight, "I thought you would consider it your _duty_ to chase Itachi."

The Uchiha froze. For a moment, he became a mere cut-out of a man, no depth or dimension to him.

"So you figured it out. I realise I was careless in letting you see my eye, but for you to be so _sure_. You are a prize to your village yourself, Kakashi of the Sharingan."

Kakashi asked a question that had plagued him since his eureka moment.

"Who are you?"

"Uchiha Madara."

He was so calm, so _relaxed_, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him to speak and claim that name.

An especially thick trickle of sweat glided down Kakashi's face.

"You look stricken Kakashi." Dry amusement scratched like sand in Kakashi's ears. "Is it that shocking? Did you hold out some hope that an Uchiha actually survived Itachi that night?" Kakashi said nothing. "Well no matter. You are right. As co-Founder of Konoha and leader of my clan, it is my duty to rein in _all_ the remaining Uchiha."

Kakashi's eye was leaden. When he spoke, the dread _promise_ in his voice surprised even him.

"You are not getting Sasuke."

The man _laughed_. Kakashi stared. Even in a bout of uncontrolled mirth, the man still left no openings for him to escape.

Kakashi was no fool. If he fought the Uchiha here in this closed room, he would get killed. He needed to move outside.

"So that's why you're here then."

The man finally calmed down. "All of that… will come in due time, Kakashi. But I am not here for Sasuke, and I have no interests in demanding you or your team to relinquish him."

How did he know? The rest of his team had hid themselves perfectly. The sensor? She _was_ Akatsuki then.

Now was not the time to think about it.

"I simply came here to collect something."

"What?"

The man raised a gloved hand, pointing to Kakashi's left eye. "That Sharingan."

The unease that had eaten away at him since he entered this godforsaken town finally made sense.

For a moment, Kakashi was hollow.

"I am here for nothing else but your eye, Kakashi," how did someone asking for one of your eyes sound so _reasonable_? "If you hand it over to me, I will leave immediately."

That was a lie. Why tell him so much then? Why reveal so many things about Akatsuki's position and his own identity?

And more than that…

'_He said he had an old cat he needed to see,' spoke a pink-haired girl with pale, papery skin and drips and tubes attached all along both her arms. 'That's a big hint – I'm sure he wouldn't just say that.'_

Madara could have guessed that Konoha would come up with visiting Nekobaa eventually. But he could not afford the chance. Or perhaps he was pressed for time, and wanted to push the process along.

Either way, it was insurance. Madara did not know whether Sakura would recall his message or not, but he left it anyway.

Nekobaa has the answer. Come to Sora-ku.

He could even be sure of who would come; Sasuke was obviously out, so there was only one person left in Konoha with a viable Sharingan, and therefore access to Nekobaa's otherwise exclusive list of clientele.

Madara had planned for this meeting all the way back then.

A sick dread, similar to when he left one comrade crushed under a couple of tons of solid rock and ran a lightning-sheathed hand through another's chest, churned in his stomach, urging him to spew it out.

If even the tiniest part of his brain suddenly went delusional and allowed him to show that kind of weakness, Nekobaa's rug would have become so filthy it would need to be burned.

Instead, Kakashi took a deep, steadying and silent inhale. If he made the wrong move here, his eye, _Obito's eye_, would be lost.

There was no way he would give his friend something like that to laud over him for the rest of their afterlives.

"You probably would leave," Kakashi said carelessly, "After killing me, of course."

"You truly are brilliant Kakashi." He moved again – a single step out of place.

Kakashi was ready this time; his hands flew into seals…

Madara did nothing. Kakashi stopped. That was the second time he initiated movement, only to fail to follow through. Were these feints? No. Opposite action followed feints. But Madara only stood there, heavy silence draped over him like a second cloak.

"Why now?" Kakashi continued. Until he figured out Madara's intent, it was still too dangerous to initiate battle. "Why didn't you take it when we met before?"

"Circumstances… shifted. I need that eye's power."

You…_need_ it? Why –?

It clicked.

Weakness. Illness. Previous damage. Those movements were not intentional steps to mislead him. They were _stumbles_. Brief periods of unsteadiness on his feet that not even Madara could hold back.

'_I need that eye's power.'_

What was wrong with him?

"The Kamui?"

"Indeed. It's quite a unique skill."

"I see. I can't hand it over to you though." Kakashi was perfectly pleasant.

"Oh? Why not?" Madara was equally so.

Kakashi smiled. "It's a gift given to me by a departed friend. I'd rather eat my own intestines than hand it over to the likes of you."

Like that, the false warmth vanished, and Madara was lethally cold. It did not bother Kakashi; he was the same.

"Perhaps it has not sunk in, but I _am_ Uchiha Madara. The rights to that eye –"

Kakashi's voice was steel. "The _comrade_ who gave me this eye would _never_ acknowledge you. I could never go to meet him telling him that I simply 'handed his eye over'."

Madara lowered his hand. All his muscles were relaxed, he stood in limp ease, his arms dangling freely and his head cocked. When he spoke, there was an undertone of something _venomous_.

"Not a comrade, huh? The same could be said of Sasuke."

"In the past perhaps. But as he is now, my friend would have probably fawned all over him with a stupid doting look on his face."

The man was silent for many short seconds. He took a breath and spoke a single word. "True."

Then he moved for real.

Kakashi met him head-on, went right through him, and kept going. He heard the mechanical whirlwind of the man's teleportation jutsu, but did not stop, navigating the dark, stifling halls at top speed as though he had lived there all his life.

He heard the yelling and sensed the utterly _ridiculous_ amount of chakra long before he burst onto the street in the day's new light, just in time to see a white blur go flying past him and through the wall of the building behind him.

The man responsible was _huge_, even taller than Gai. Kakashi imagined he had a solid build, though it was a moot point under the grey, pointed growths that covered half his body. His arm, also covered in these growths, was shaped like a crude club, promising a devastating punch.

The man looked at Kakashi, yellow irises inside black sclera, and grinned.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF –!"

"_Hakke Kūshō!_" The gust of Gentle Fist styled air slammed into the giant, repaying him in kind by knocking him into the opposite building. The walls were thin here, falling apart under decades of neglect and erosion from the elements.

Seemed that was a good thing for both sides.

"Neji, you –"

"Kakashi-sensei, behind you!" Kakashi turned, just in time to see an inanely grinning boy with teeth that were too sharp swing a massive butcher's cleaver at his head.

The Shadow Clone was cleanly decapitated, and died in an inglorious puff of smoke. The boy staggered, his momentum thrown, and took a Jūken strike to the chest before he could bring his sword back up.

Neji looked down at the feel of water where there should have been crumpling flesh; the boy's chest was liquid and bubbling beneath his palm, trying to push past his chakra and engulf his hand.

Neji leaped back, opting for another Air Palm, which literally blew his opponent to pieces, or rather, to thousands of tiny water droplets. The drops dug grooves into the dusty street as it rushed to gather together to form a whole body again.

Neji ignored it, leaving it up to the Byakugan to keep track of it, and that speeding tendril of shadow to capture it.

He ran for the giant; even with all that grey armour shielding him, the Sixty-Four Palms should finish him for good. He was their priority right now – a single strike from him ploughed through the _Hakkeshō Kaiten_ like it was pudding. If it was not for his defence, Neji would be out of the fight for good.

Shikamaru's shadow was still holding him, though he struggled mightily. Neji brought his palm up, ready to end it quickly…

"I can't let you do that."

…and spun seamlessly, right into another Kaiten. The Mask, definitely taken by surprise, fell away with more than a few damaged tenketsu.

Hinata-sama had been right.

'_When he disappears, he opens a hole into nothing,_' she had told him. '_It's white space, absolute emptiness, an anomaly that exists because it's not supposed to exist. Because it's so abnormal, the Byakugan can sense it faster than any other movement. Keep alert, Neji-niisan, and you can see him coming before he gets a chance to do anything. You can catch him before he gets a chance to touch you!_'

If Naruto had gone on that mission, she probably would have never noticed that. As hard as she might try, Naruto always distracted her on some level. As long as it was not fatal, Neji did not mind. However, because of Naruto's humiliation by Danzō, she was spurred on to bring him success. Her eyes that day must have seen more than his would in a lifetime.

He smiled to himself, and as his enemy staggered back, Neji fell into position, his arms extended.

The ground glowed green beneath them; the Mask was in range.

"_Jūkenpō…_" The Uchiha started to disappear, to swirl back into the emptiness. Neji darted forward, finishing the attack's name in a single breath. "_Hakke Rokujūyo –_!"

"I'LL KILL YA, YA BASTARD!"

Neji had seen him stand up, but when he glimpsed what was growing out of the orange-haired man's flesh, he faltered by a millisecond.

In that time the Mask disappeared completely, and the wild-eyed monster of a man flew forth on chakra pistons jutting out from his back. Neji did not even have time to blink as the man flew right into the range of his Gentle Fist.

'_Well, it's what I originally planned anyway,'_ Neji thought as he charged, his palm alight with chakra, _'Been a while since I did the Hundred Twenty Eight Palms.'_

* * *

Shikamaru closed his eyes as a great cloud of dust washed over him, the result of the clash between Gentle Fist and… whatever the heck that guy was.

Part of him was glad the guy was gone; he could not hold on to the both of them at once. While one was a bucking, raging bull that pulled and stretched his shadow to its limits, the other was slime, smothering and oozing all over his shadow and trying to seep out wherever it could.

Just trying to get a grip on him was draining.

"Troublesome," he muttered, as a tendril of shadow holding a white kerchief stretched up out of the settling dust and waved to the girl who was waiting for his signal.

She nodded and aimed for the mass of bubbling, spurting water – she had not taken her eyes off of it or the insane one since the fight began.

"_Shintenshin no_ –" And then she saw a space of emptiness open up behind Shikamaru.

As soon as Shikamaru sensed the malevolence behind him, he tried to move, but was too slow.

The gloved hand landed with finality on his shoulder, and he was being pulled, _contorted_, into an Other-space.

The bottomless darkness was thick enough to weigh on one's skin, and infinite enough to drive a man mad.

But that was fine. That was better than the COLD. A mind covered in darkness was still a mind that could be lost, but a mind subjected to this COLD was frozen and made numb, to shatter into nothing.

A madman was still a man, but this COLD ripped away the intrinsic warmth of blood and soul, and made a man _inhuman_.

_Let me out! _Shikamaru screamed and bucked, half of him already inside the COLD. It was already ripping out something from his soul, something he would never get back if it was gone, something like sanity but much, much harder to find again if one lost it –

Abruptly, his absorption into the COLD ended – his Kagemane was negated by then but he was free, and he leaped away as far as he could.

Madara stared at him, his limbs trembling.

_Ino_.

* * *

He had been tricked. And by a mere girl who was barely a shinobi. It was only because her sensing capabilities far outmatched his that he had taken her along with her two much more impressive comrades.

Because she was right on the mark about the Hyūga and Nara, he automatically trusted her about the location of the third member of the team.

A member who was also a sensor, and therefore exceptional at hiding her chakra.

Such an old trick. Weave a lie into the truth to make it all the easier to swallow. He had swallowed it happily.

Whether or not it was the anxiety of retrieving Kakashi's eye – a chore that he should have accomplished ages ago – that allowed him to make such an error was irrelevant now.

Because of his mistake, the Yamanaka was _inside his mind._

And he needed her OUT.

* * *

She was in, but this guy's mind was a fortress. There were seals and genjutsu defences everywhere she turned: above, below, behind, before her: they all stretched for her with gritty determination to crush and grind her to pulp.

Ino gritted her teeth and dug into one of the white walls, ripping it apart with her bare hands.

She still was not at her father's level where she could break mental defences, but she could make them _hurt_.

The mind hated pain. Thus, when faced with affliction, its usual reaction was to retreat to those soft, warm memories that brought the most comfort. Shinobi were rarely trained to rid themselves of this automatic defence, as comforting memories usually did not entail life-or-death secrets. Most people would not even think to keep them sealed away.

The Masked Uchiha was one of them.

The white walls retreated, and the space got a little brighter. A cool wind was blowing: its defences were still up, but this mind was at peace.

She could hear laughter in the distance.

'_Let's go!'_

Who was that? Ino ran forward as more and more layers of darkness peeled back and crumbled under her steady flow of chakra. The blank space squeezed, desperate now to stop her. Ino _pushed_ with a scream and the space retreated.

One had to have incredible mental fortitude or an unbelievably strong consciousness to overwhelm a Yamanaka. Like that 'other' Sakura that still made Ino shiver whenever she thought of her.

Someone calm and composed like the masked Uchiha did not seem the type to have an alter ego like that, though.

The voice grew louder.

'_Don't hide your wounds! I'm always watching you know!'_

A girl? Who was she talking to?

'_I'm gonna become Hokage!'_

Who was _that_? He sounded like Naruto.

'_Go for it Obito! Become a cool Hokage and let me see how you save the world! It's a promise okay?'_

"Obito?"

And then, in a halo of light, Ino saw a beautiful smile. It was the girl. She could not have been older than Ino was when she took the Chūnin exams the first time. But Ino marvelled at her.

Her eyes were so sincere, and so _kind_.

'_I'll always be watching you.' _

"ENOUGH."

The space _pushed_. She dug into the darkness, trying to find a grip, but there was none to be had. She was _catapulted_ out of the Uchiha's mind, back into her own body atop a long abandoned ramen shop.

The Masked Uchiha followed her, sliding out from the hold of paralysing shadow, a kunai falling into his hand.

She did not have a chance of making it. She only barely sat up before Madara was on top of her, plunging the kunai towards her neck.

The blade was cut in half by the sparking lightning of a thousand birds. Undeterred, Madara reached down and gripped Ino by the throat, taking a knee to the face from Kakashi in order to crush it. Blood spewed out of Ino's mouth, filling the air with the stench of warm metal.

As Shikamaru leaped to her side, Kakashi leaped after Madara – who was knocked back by the kick and falling to the street below – and took the opportunity to run his Raikiri through the man's chest.

He came out the other side, but the passage was… bumpy. Madara was damaged, and it confirmed Kakashi's suspicion.

"You're not Madara," he told the man while skidding to a stop on the dusty ground.

The Uchiha's landing was not nearly as smooth. He stumbled backwards a few steps before coming to a stop. The right side of his mask was shattered from the kick; chips of it fell away, revealing an enraged Sharingan.

"Madara went toe to toe with Hashirama himself; mountains were destroyed in the heat of their battle. He would not wait around, hoping for the chance to lure me out. He would raze the place, kill everyone here, and take my eye by force."

On the roof, Shikamaru held Ino. She was warm… and seriously wounded, too. Of course. Luckily that knee to the face had prevented the man from damaging her trachea, so she could still breathe. She could not speak though, and seemed to be in terrible pain.

On ground level, Neji kept a silent guard on the wild grey man unconscious at his feet, while his palm was levelled at the regenerated water boy. The two shinobi stood still, eyeing each other warily.

Kakashi glanced at the two unknowns. "Friends of yours?"

"New members," the Mask answered casually, "though we were busy, so they did not get a proper initiation."

"You mean those fashion faux pas you call cloaks?" Madara did not answer. Kakashi dug in a little deeper. "Akatsuki must be desperate, if they're willing to hire a couple of kids."

"Itachi himself was a child when we took him."

"And look where he is now. You can't even catch him yet."

"Like I said," his Sharingan spun, "I was busy." Out of the whirlwind of unnatural air came a flurry of giant shuriken. "Besides…"

Madara sped through the shuriken, passing through all of them like a grotesque shadow. Kakashi, with no intangibility to aid him, could only dodge, leaping back in wide arcs to avoid being sliced to ribbons in the cramped street.

Neji moved forward to help him, but was intercepted by the white-haired boy he'd been facing off against. With only a glare between them, they fell back into their brawl.

Kakashi was on his own. But with the Sharingan, the movements of the shuriken were easy enough to predict.

Getting out of their way was not as easy. He threw himself to the side to dodge a point so sharp that it stabbed inches deep into one of the few good walls left and split it in half. With toes barely dusting the ground, he jumped high to avoid the penultimate projectile, which splintered the street under him. In mid-leap, he deflected the last of the shuriken with a kunai desperately sharpened by his Raikiri, and still only barely stopped it from taking his arm off.

Before his feet touched the ground, Madara was in front of him, his fingers curling like claws around his Sharingan.

He flawlessly finished the sentence he began less than ten seconds (it felt like ten minutes) ago.

"… Itachi will die soon enough."

On base instinct, Kakashi activated Kamui. The wretched fingers began disappearing into another dimension.

But then the fingers _pulled_, and disappeared into the Mask's own 'space'.

And suddenly, as the hand that blocked Kakashi's vision whirled back into safety, the two Sharingan stared at each other, both trying to pull the other in.

Deadlock.

Why? The mask wondered at this, even as he sensed the distortion of something more than air around them. His arm was now cut off at the wrist, but easy enough to reattach. He barely felt any pain as a pale mockery of flesh dripped from the amputated appendage.

Why did he respond with Kamui instead of intangibility? Was it their eyes? Did Kakashi's attack goad his eye to this response?

Brother eyes, Brother Kamui, both trying to gain dominance over the other.

Nature could not allow such a bitter feud.

A window-shattering clang rang throughout the entirety of Sora-ku, carrying with it an invisible shockwave. The water boy's entire body rippled with its force, shards from the few windows above his head falling right through it. The wild man woke up. Neji winced, his Byakugan throbbing. Ino felt the dissonance in her body and retched, her throat _tearing_ in pain. Shikamaru winced, his tendrils of shadow halted and trembling.

The pulling sensation stopped. Both eyes were strained to their limits, they even began to bleed. But neither felt like it was being pulled.

They were simply moving.

Suspended in mid-air by some mockery of the laws of gravity, Kakashi and Madara stared at each other as their respective Sharingan slowly slid out of their sockets.

_Unbelievable_. Closing a number of Madara's tenketsu had made them equal. He had underestimated the Byakugan.

But he was still…

"_Hakke Kūshō!"_

_**Impossible**_**.**

He had been trying to become untouchable for the past half-minute, trying to break the… _connection_ between his and Kakashi's eyes.

It was no use. As long as Kamui was active, his body refused to become a ghost.

Neji's attack slammed into his back. He was not pushed forward – the laws of nature were still on a hiatus – but several more of his tenketsu slammed shut.

Reality _shook_. The gong sang again. Kakashi's Kamui _PULLED_.

And something… _alive_… flew out of Madara's eye.

Gravity returned, grabbing Kakashi in an eager embrace. He slammed disgracefully into the ground, watching as the thing – the _living_ thing – flipped endlessly through the air. It was snugly wrapped in a black cloak, and as it flew, a pale arm flopped out.

The water boy was _running_ for it, dragging the massive butcher's cleaver behind him, ignoring Neji and Madara completely. When it became clear that he would not make it, he dropped the sword, _Zabuza's_ sword, and dove at the ground, skidding into an impressive slide for a good ten metres.

If he had not caught it, Kakashi would have hit him.

As the trail of upraised dust settled, the boy stood with the bundle in his arms and a huge grin on his face. Unlike the first time they had met, Kakashi noted how it reached his eyes.

"Jūgo! I got him!" The wild man called Jūgo rose – Neji's jaw dropped – and limped towards him, picking up the boy's sword on the way.

He also ignored his assumed leader, who was still struggling from the backlash of the two Kamuis' paradoxical tug-of-war.

Kakashi was not surprised by Jūgo's swift recovery. Berserkers like him usually had pretty tough armour and lasting endurance. It was quite something that Neji was able to fell him even for that short amount of time. And even if he could walk, he would not be fighting again any time soon.

"Oy!"

He turned to meet a pair of shining purple eyes staring at him.

"Thanks," the sharp-toothed young man shouted clearly over the distance. "We owe you one."

Kakashi's jaw would have dropped had it not been for his mask. It had its uses, after all.

The boy turned to Madara and held up one of his fingers. "Fuck. You."

Then he ran off at top speed, with Jūgo trotting behind him and, unseen by everyone but Neji, the girl he had identified from the very beginning racing to catch up.

It might be worthwhile to interrogate her. But they had a much better subject for interrogation right in front of them.

Neji stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. He placed Sixty Four Strikes into the Masked Uchiha's back, cratering the earth under his body with the impacts, and closing off the rest of his tenketsu. The shadow beneath Madara grew tar black as dark tendrils slowly speared through the man's arms, legs and torso, stitching him neatly to the ground.

One long stretch of shadow connected the lightless pool to Shikamaru's slowly approaching feet. Ino was hanging off his arm, being half-dragged by her teammate.

The Uchiha gave up fighting and closed his eye.

"Well then," Kakashi said, his lazy tone all but returned. "How about we tie you up and take you back to the village, 'Madara'?"

Madara smiled. And disappeared, shimmering out of existence as an Izanagi long programmed into his left eye finally found the right conditions to activate.

He did not reach far. The chakra he had placed in the eye did all it could, but his injuries had been severe. Forcefully opening a few tenketsu took twice as much chakra as shutting them. And that was without reversing whatever it was the Kamuis' Deadlock had done to him.

At the Hyūga's widened Byakugan, the Uchiha could not help but smirk.

"What did you say Madara would do, Kakashi?"

All of his chakra was not accessible. But it was enough.

"Raze this place, was it?"

He slid out of yet another Kagemane attempt and performed a simple seal.

"_Katon: Bakufū Ranbu!_"

If Kakashi had not taken his cryptic taunts as a warning, they would all be dead. His command to Neji was no more than a half-worded shout but it was enough.

The Hyūga _spun_ and the Kaiten spread, enclosing them in a tight dome of rapidly rotating chakra as the lateral _typhoon_ of fire melted the buildings and the very dust around them.

"That's… ridiculous," Shikamaru muttered. Kakashi agreed. This was the level of Kakuzu's fire and wind combination. No, it was even stronger. Even within the thick walls of the Kaiten, Kakashi could _feel_ the burns forming on his skin.

He could not move – whatever had happened between his eye and Madara's had drained him of all strength.

"Shikamaru." The air was _boiling_; every inhale was painful. "Use this time to come up with a plan. I cannot move, and after using this much chakra, Neji will not be able to fight –"

"I'm afraid he has no time left, Kakashi."

He came, sliding through the Kaiten's walls even as the firestorm raged outside.

"Give me –" he was almost inside. Only his arm and leg were outside of the Kaiten, where they should have been cooked by his own monstrous jutsu. Kakashi watched him, his Sharingan bleeding anew. There was something he was so close to understanding. "– that eye."

Madara's (newly reattached) hand was outstretched, Kakashi raised his own…

And gave Madara Uchiha a high five.

His hand passed right through. _And there was no reason for it._

He knew Kakashi could not stand, his Sharingan would tell him that he had no chakra left, and predict that his weak movement was non-threatening.

"That's it."

Madara's Sharingan, exposed by his shattered mask, widened. Kakashi grinned. There was only one reason 'Madara Uchiha' would take a kick to the face like that.

A weakness. Just what they needed.

"You can become untouchable –"

"But you can't touch things at the same time!" Shikamaru released Ino, who slid with surprising grace to the ground, and put his hands together in a seal.

Neji's chakra created its own light, allowing Shikamaru to create a dozen tendrils of black shadow. They wriggled through Madara like ravenous eels; his heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and brain would have all been skewered in an instant if not for his ability.

"Shadow Stitching, a success. Now I wonder how long you'll last."

Madara made to move back, but jerked. Shikamaru's smirk grew nasty, a wicked showing of teeth.

* * *

"_The difference?" Nara Shikaku nodded at his son over the Shōgi board. Shikamaru frowned. His dad did not usually try to distract him with frivolous matters during these games, but it was not entirely beneath him. He had gotten astonishingly better after his battle with Akatsuki._

"_There is no difference," Shikamaru stated, decisively moving his Lance forward. A straight out charge, Naruto-esque in its boldness. _

_Shikaku smiled. Shikamaru never appreciated these kinds of moves back then, and thus only treated his Lances as cannon-fodder to protect the more sophisticated Rook and Bishop._

"_You're right." Shikaku captured the Lance. Shikamaru gave it a brief glance of appreciation, before sweeping in to capture one of his father's precious Silver Generals. "There is no difference between shadow and darkness."_

_Shikamaru resisted rolling his eyes. "Why ask then?" he said shortly._

"_Because it's one thing for your mind to know that. It's another for your jutsu to know that."_

_Shikamaru blinked. Shikaku pushed forward with his own Lance, casually capturing the last of his son's Pawns. Shikamaru blinked again. His first rank was now uncomfortably open._

"_What do you mean?" he asked only half-interested, trying to find a way out that would protect the King, but wouldn't lose him a General. He'd admit, he still had a childish penchant for them. _

_Shikaku's eyes twitched, resisting a roll of their own. "I mean the next level."_

_That made Shikamaru finally look up. "Next level?"_

"_Yes. The next level in our clan's technique. It's not a new jutsu, like what you've been practicing, but a level-up on all of your old ones." Shikamaru sat still, staring at his father. The board was now ignored by them both. _

"_Shadow is darkness. Yet think about all the places around us, inside us, where darkness lies yet our shadows cannot reach. That limitation exists, but it does not need to."_

"_Dad… I don't understand."_

_Shikaku chuckled. "I don't blame you. I didn't get it either, the first and last time I achieved this. It took me months to put words to it; I haven't even shared it with the clan." Shikamaru's mouth fell open a little. "Some of the greatest ninjutsu of our time comes from ridiculous simplicity. Tsunade-sama's superhuman strength: chakra superfocused to the extreme. The Rasengan: spinning chakra crammed into a ball, extreme shape manipulation and tremendous power. _

_And us. The Shadow Manipulators. Using our shadows to touch untouchable darkness. I only did it once, when me and my friends were going to die. That state of mind is quite…" a flurried muddle of emotion crossed his face; hatred, sickness, fear. "Unique. I couldn't reproduce it. So I can't teach it to you. All I can do…"_

_Shikaku checkmated the King. Shikamaru did not even notice. "Is share with you the possibility of a ridiculous extreme. The simplicity of ninjutsu expanded to make our shadows true darkness." Shikaku snatched up his son's King, holding it between forefinger and thumb. Shikamaru stared at the finely painted kanji, swallowing softly, "You will face ridiculous enemies from now on. More ridiculous than those…zombies. When that happens, touch the untouchable darkness my son, and bind it."_

* * *

"How." Skewered with a dozen wriggling shadows, bound in place even in his intangible state, Madara Uchiha would not dignify the Leaf Chūnin with an actual question. Shikamaru answered anyway.

"There are shadows everywhere on your body you know," Shikamaru said, his as-a-matter-of-fact tone making Ino's skin prickle. She had been the victim of his lectures too many times.

"Under your sleeves, behind your mask, even the hair on your arms makes shadows. Not even you can escape the shadows made by your own body. All I did was attach my shadow to yours and make it stick. Once I found enough of those convenient shadows of yours, making the adjustment was easy."

His smile faded, his eyes turned calculating. "The only way for you to escape now is to teleport."

Ten seconds passed. "You can't. You need to be physical in order to teleport. That's why you can only suck people in when you touch them."

Madara sighed and tilted his head back. "This is gonna suck."

"Wha –"

Blood splashed into Shikamaru's mouth. If he was anything less than a chūnin-too-lazy-to-be-a-jōnin, he would have completely lost his composure and retched, unintentionally dispelling the jutsu. Instead, he just spat repeatedly, even after all the blood was out.

The gore splashed warm and thick all over Kakashi and Ino. The speeds at which Neji spun prevented any blood from clinging to him.

Madara hung limp, staked in all of his major organs by Shikamaru's shadow stitches. Except for Neji, everyone stared, speechless.

And fell to despair when the body rippled out of existence.

The maelstrom of flames was over. Neji slowed to a stop and promptly passed out, utterly exhausted. Kakashi caught him, keeping his head from hitting the ground. Ino crawled to him and put her hands on his chest, giving him her chakra. More blood dribbled over her bottom lip, but she ignored it, just as she did the blood that was drying on her bare skin.

Blood that was not hers.

Shikamaru watched her, before slowly turning to face the Uchiha who was standing silently on the scorched earth. A distinct line now existed, between that which could still be recognised as a town, and the scarred, molten devastation that would later decay into the surrounding wasteland. Even the tallest buildings were barely standing, reduced to steaming, hollowed skeletons.

Only the little patch of ground that Neji had protected with every last drop of his chakra survived: a poor remnant of what the street used to be.

It was hot. Shikamaru was sweating like, well like Lee after his five daily sessions of training. But still, somewhere inside him, he was so impossibly, so damnably _cold_.

Troublesome.

He shuffled in front of his three incapacitated teammates, kicking up ash. The ground _burned_; there were patches that were completely melted, and rapidly cooling into glass. The Uchiha seemed to have no trouble standing on one such patch, even though the bottoms of his feet were hissing.

But Shikamaru was still so illogically _cold_.

Troublesome.

"Your Izanagi," Shikamaru began, glancing around at the hollowed landscape, trying to ignore how irritating the hot, ashy air was to his throat. "Can last a while, can't it?"

Madara began a slow stalk towards them. He did not answer immediately, but when he did, Shikamaru appreciated the irony.

"I did not expect a chūnin to be more troublesome than Kakashi."

"Oh?"

"Your shadows are too clingy," a kunai slid into his hand, "It's suffocating."

"My, my. So you're just going to kill them off? A bit extreme, don't you think?"

Madara tired of their banter. He just lunged, his kunai held straight out before him like a javelin.

Shikamaru ducked at the last moment; undeterred, Madara spun and plunged the kunai toward the back of Ino's neck.

The girl did not even turn around. She just ducked slightly as Kakashi's arm flew over her head.

Caught completely off guard by a man he thought was down for good, Madara's head snapped back as the Jōnin's fist connected with his jaw in a shattering blow. Their enemy staggered back onto the burning scar that was once a dusty street, and into a fresh patch of wriggling shadow stitches.

The shadows' points phased right through him. But then, ever so slowly, Madara began to bleed. Scratches were opening up all over his body.

Shikamaru stared, his eyes widening slightly. _This was…_

Madara leaped back. Kakashi sped after him, Shikamaru right as his side.

The Uchiha went right, making to intercept the chūnin. The chūnin, who wanted just that, darted even more to the right, moving Madara to his peripheral vision. When the Uchiha was close enough, he flipped out a kunai and stabbed into the air in front of him.

Kakashi's kunai went right through Madara's ghostlike heart and out the other side. Kakashi's body soon followed. And following Kakashi was an especially sharp spear of black shadow, stretching up out of the ground.

The shadow disappeared into Madara's chest and slipped out the other side. There was no sound of flesh being pierced, but a moment later…

Madara _screamed_; out of pain or surprise the chūnin could not tell. All that mattered was that, in the next moment, the Uchiha was on his knees, clutching his chest.

Shikamaru did not give him a chance to recuperate. Now was the time. Since shadow was his main weapon, Shikamaru never left home without some of its antithesis.

Light.

He always made sure, on missions like this one, to litter the field with his own personal patches of light, in case he should need them. And they were now at the line that separated destruction from developments, just like Shikamaru had planned. A few bombs had survived, just like he had planned.

With a surge of his chakra, they detonated.

In a single moment the sunlight disappeared, replaced by the harsh whiteness of a thousand fluorescent bulbs. Kakashi, Shikamaru, Madara, and the corners of the buildings disappeared in the over-light, becoming nothing more than etchings with scratched outlines.

The only thing that this light could and _did_ illuminate in pristine definition was darkness.

Like the darkness that connected Shikamaru and Kakashi, which the scorched black of the ground had effectively hid.

Like the darkness that made the etched edges of the nearest buildings thicker and more defined: growing them darker until they stretched beyond their boundaries across the white sky and earth to meet with other edges of darkness just like them.

The thin streams of darkness stretched, and grew, and connected until they became a cage.

Shikamaru (and Kakashi) put his hands together in a simple seal. The lightless pool under Kakashi abandoned him and sped for Madara, growing a meter in diameter upon reaching him.

"_Ninpou_," Shikamaru whispered. The bars of darkness that created their cage _throbbed_. Madara tried to move, to slide away, but Shikamaru's shadows stuck perfectly now.

"_Chikage no Heya._"

The shadows stretched from their bars, becoming a sea of spears so numerous that each one was indistinguishable. From the sharpest light to the deepest darkness was a painful transition: even with the contacts he had put on, Shikamaru's eyes still watered as his pupils rapidly dilated.

The spears pierced Madara in silence. They retracted and pierced him again in silence. And repeated the cycle anew. Madara was going to be speared with serial waves of a thousand shadows, each volley of strikes more violent than the last.

After the five hundredth shadow pierced him, there was a squelch and a squirt of blood. Shikamaru gritted his teeth, hanging on as hard as he could.

"He can't escape." Kakashi spoke from the ground; he had slumped to his knees after Shikamaru's shadow left him.

"You sure?"

"Yes. The Izanagi is still in effect, but every time he uses it, his chakra is drastically depleted. His reserves are too low now. And I can see: his body's still shocked from whatever happened between our eyes. The Izanagi didn't – _couldn't_ reverse all of it." Kakashi coughed, and the section of mask in front of his mouth darkened.

"The most he can do is regenerate right back inside this cage."

Before Kakashi said 'cage', Madara let out a scream of pure rage. The blood squelches got louder and more numerous. They weren't stopping. Madara was not regenerating.

It would have been great if they could have brought him in alive. They would have gotten invaluable information from him.

But he was far too dangerous to be left alive.

Shikamaru poured the last of his chakra into the final volley of needles, spearing Madara thoroughly. The timing was perfect; just as the light from the flash bombs faded, just as Madara's Izanagi had finally run out.

The sky was blue again, though for Shikamaru it was hard to see with the white spots throbbing in his eyes.

Madara was on his knees. His coat was soaked through with blood and sticking to his skinny frame. There were holes everywhere; the ruined cloth was barely hanging on to him.

All of his major organs were pierced, or should have been. Shikamaru had definitely felt some of his shadows connect with flesh and blood, along with _other_ things he was not sure he could come up with an explanation for.

There were visible holes in Madara's arms and legs, his stomach, his chest. But somehow, his eye remained intact, and that was all he needed. Reality shifted, though slowly and much less smoothly than it had before. In the adjusting light of Shikamaru's vision, Madara's Sharingan suddenly _glowed_.

"I'll be back for you." His voice was still so _calm_, just a little breathless from the pain, blood loss and chakra exhaustion.

Shikamaru _shook_.

The angry glow turned from him, and the chūnin felt that he could breathe again.

"And I will be back for that eye, Kakashi," he was almost gone, his voice echoed from the emptiness. "It's mine."

He was gone, leaving only small spots of blood which slowly cooked on the still-steaming ground.

Kakashi shuddered. There was something in that voice that almost made the Copy Ninja _believe_ him.

"Shikamaru." Before he dealt with any foreboding premonitions, however, he needed to deal with the horrible burning pain, the wretched _sting_ of hell's fire in his eyeballs.

The lazy genius stiffened at the deceptively sweet tone. He was too smart not to know where he had gone wrong.

"Was that your first time using the Room of a Thousand Shadows?"

"W-well, on the 'thousand' scale yeah. I practiced a smaller version at home."

"I see." He lowered his headband over his Sharingan. "Warn me, next time you're going to do it. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good." A few moments passed. "I hear footsteps."

"That's Neji and Ino. Can't you see –?"

"Oh no, I'm blind."

"A-ah."

"What did you do?" that was Neji, who limped forward with Ino's arm over his shoulders. Ino nodded slowly, also wanting to know.

"I also want to know," Kakashi unknowingly mirrored Ino.

"Kakashi-sensei, your eye…"

"Shikamaru's technique blinded me," he said cheerfully, his eye staring off in a completely opposite direction from where Neji was standing. "I can only see out of the Sharingan, but it needs rest."

"O-oh."

Shikamaru cleared his throat, his ears beet red. "W-well, like I said before, our clothes and bodies make countless shadows all over us that even he could not escape from. I basically stuck my shadows to his shadows so he couldn't escape them. But…"

Shikamaru paused, his jaw working as if he was actually chewing his own words.

_Touch the untouchable darkness._

"When I use my techniques, I can somewhat feel what my shadows do. I feel when they've pierced flesh, or when they're holding something. To an extent I can even feel where they are. So when my shadows touched that guy, and he became untouchable, sometimes I felt that my shadows went somewhere else."

"Sometimes?" asked Neji.

"Yeah. I made them as sticky as I could, but I still couldn't get it right. The normal paralysis shadows were perfect, but stitching shadows only clung completely to him some of the time. That's probably why his wounds weren't fatal. I only grazed his organs instead of properly piercing them. And he protected his head perfectly."

"So the shadows that clung to him, you felt as though they went somewhere else?"

"Yeah. Somewhere far away. Dark. And," Shikamaru's body convulsed in one violent shudder, "_cold_."

"Come to think of it, that thing that flew out of his eye was a living person, wasn't it?"

"Your Byakugan didn't –?"

Neji shook his head slowly, staring at Kakashi. "That… paradox sucked in my eyes' vision. Once I looked, my Byakugan's vision closed in on Kakashi-sensei and the Uchiha, and blocked out everything else."

"It cancelled the Byakugan?" Shikamaru shook his head. He'd figure that out later. "A person was inside his eye. So his eye has some sort of storage seal inside it?"

"No. That's not it." Kakashi's head was bowed, even though his eye swung upwards. Shikamaru winced.

"Rather than a seal, it's more accurate to compare it to my Kamui. I think I've almost got it figured out," he turned to Shikamaru, his eye turned to Neji, "if you just give me more time."

"Sure," Shikamaru would have agreed to anything Kakashi wanted at that point, "Ino, can you do something about his eye?"

Ino slowly shook her head, not wanting to aggravate her injury. She had performed some healing on her throat, but still could not speak. So she silently raised her hand and covered her own eye, then pointed to Kakashi.

"We need to cover it?" She nodded. "That's his only eye." Ino's brow flattened into her signature, 'are you a complete idiot or are you Naruto?' look.

"Nara," Neji filled in the gap for her. "He can't see either way."

No birds would come near Sora-ku for the next few months. It was just as well. Shikamaru did _not_ need nature itself calling him out on his brain-dead moments right now.

So he silently wrapped up Kakashi's remaining eye in bandages.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's only temporary."

"Yeah," Shikamaru's voice was void of any life. He almost did not trust himself to speak right now.

Ino rolled her eyes and descended to her knees, where she began writing in the warm ashes.

"I-Ino?" She glared shortly at Shikamaru, who immediately shut up, and continued writing.

When she got a good way in, the two who could started reading.

"White walls… Dug my way through… Heard a girl's voice… What is this?"

"Ino went inside that guy's head. I guess this is what she got before he pushed her out."

Shikamaru read it aloud for Kakashi's sake, not noticing the man fall more and more silent beside him. As though to make up for it, his mind screamed as it remembered the pattern of that Masked Uchiha's Mangekyō.

The same pattern as his own. He did not want to see it. He knew what would happen if he acknowledged it. So he had ignored it completely and run away, calling the terrible truth irrelevant.

That was better. He would happily be a coward if that truth would simply cease to be.

But life was never that kind to him.

When Ino wrote the last word, and Shikamaru subsequently spoke it, he only had one question.

"Who's Obito?"

That question would not be answered, or even much thought about, until they were back in Konoha.

When Kakashi finally succumbed to chakra exhaustion and lay crumpled on the ground, hyperventilating wildly while a dark, wet spot spread in his eye bandages, all the teens wanted to do from that point was get him home as quickly as possible.

* * *

**A/N: G-man thanks for your review. I'm glad you liked Naruto and Sasuke's talk, and Sasuke's switch from revenge to justice. I really went through a lot to make that part believable and flow smoothly, since I didn't want the transition to be 'magical change of heart due to superpowered friendship speech from Naruto'. And yes, even as a (normal) kid I always thought Sasuke was able to grasp some mature concepts for his age. That's probably part of the 'potential' Itachi saw in him. As for Danzo... I'm not sure yet if I'll go any deeper with him, but I am thinking about it. He really is such an interesting character. Thanks for another thoughtful review, I really love reading them.**

**To all else, thank you for reading my story and sticking with me this far. Favourite, Follow and Review as you're compelled, and I hope to see all of you next time!**


	14. Interlude I

**Interlude I**

He fell out of a distortion in space, dropping to the ground like a malformed birth. He landed on his face, and stayed there, hurting, bleeding. He was Nobody. He wanted to be Nobody. So when did _those_ memories become so shallow that a fledgling Yamanaka was able to reach them?

When had he become so crippled that he could not even stop a fledgling?

He had let It get too far. To think he would lose a battle of Sharingan against a non-Uchiha (Kakashi), against a mere Jōnin (son of the White Fang, genius), a _dog_ of Konoha!

The holes were closing. Another fledgling. How many did it matter? He should have still… should have still…

"**I knew it was too much for you, even with backup.**" A bloody gurgle was the only response he could manage. Another distortion of space accompanied this one's approach, a silent ripple in the ground as it phased through the earth towards him. "You're sick," the white one said plainly, none of its frivolous chatter padding its words.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his mask long fallen off. "What happened on your side? The intel?"

"He betrayed us."

He could not even fake indignity. Really, he had seen this coming.

"**You saw this coming**," the black one gravelled, disapproval dripping from his words like venom. He suppressed a moan; even thinking about poison, or any method of killing right now was painful. "**You were too hasty in accepting him. Akatsuki is still in hiding and we do not even have seventy five percent of the Bijuu, yet he came to us. The stench of a rotting rat wishing to be a snake, and you still took him in.**"

"If I die, the plan fails, and this rotten world will go on to greater and greater despair. I. Cannot. _Die_."

"**So you were desperate.**"

"His medicine helped, if only a little."

The white one mumbled something. "**Spit it out.**"

"Are you sure it's not Itachi's blood you sucked up?"

"I'm not that careless," he was still bleeding, but he could sit up now that most of the holes were closed. Madara had left plenty of insurances to make sure he was abominably hard to kill. "Besides, our little rat ran his tests. Itachi's illness and **It** are different. Also, **It** started before Itachi betrayed me."

"That was why you lost the Three Tails."

He remained silent. Deidara did not let him hear the end of it right up until his own death.

"**Three Tails, Six Tails, Eight Tails, Nine Tails. Four Beasts are roaming about. Yet you went after a Has Been legend, a Branch-House Hyūga and two chūnin with only their family names to them. And LOST.**"

He suppressed the urge to touch his chest. If Black Zetsu was so disgusted by his actions, it was no wonder he was in crippling pain throughout that fight. Crippled by his heart's curse, crippled by It. Four Tailed Beasts still loose. And now Kakashi…

He blinked hard, dispelling that silver hair from his vision. "You're right," he admitted to the impenetrable blackness that glared at him. "I should have taken… more loyal backup. Nagato is too obsessed with the Kyūbi vessel, but I might have persuaded Konan. If she was there… It doesn't matter. I'll send her after the Six Tails. After I rest, I'll go after one of the others. Everything else can come –"

The air clung to him then, gentle hands brushing against his face and playing with his tattered cloak.

**It** was coming.

He gripped the earth, fighting before** It** arrived to mercilessly rend both earth and him.

Zetsu glided back. The earth was never literally split. He just couldn't stand the screaming, and could not risk being sucked into that cold, dark, and desperately _cold_ dimension again.

**It** always came as a masquerade, a gentle Eye within a bloody storm. He was floating, in perfect synchronicity with the earth, the sky, the stars themselves. Bliss, the same bliss with which he wanted to swallow the world, filled up his bones until they overflowed.

Peace. Beautiful, lulling peace. The peace he longed for. The new reality he would write to replace this despairing one. A perfect dream.

Shattered. Its shards, the shards of a dream cut into him, making him bleed. That was not the worst part. As he bled, his body was slowly and methodically ripped apart. One arm torn from his torso like ripped paper. Then the other. Then his legs. His head was split in half, his mind destroyed.

That was fine. That was always when Rin saved him. When his mind was split, so was her smiling face. And to put her together again was to pull his parts together, scream by throat-ripping scream.

The mind hated pain. Thus when faced with affliction, it retreats to the memories that bring the most comfort.

'_Go for it Obito! Become a cool Hokage and let me see how you save the world! It's a promise okay?'_

_Aah. That's how they got so shallow, so easy to reach._

And still it was not enough. Because at this, the apex of his resistance, the world itself pushed back.

And instead of being ripped apart, he was _crushed_.

The earth happily offered him, pushing him up to the wroth sky as it descended, the entire force of the heavens thrust down to smash him to pulp. Caught in this pressure, sandwiched between these two mighty bodies, what could he do but scream in small, futile, final protest as his lungs collapsed, his bones snapped, his eyes popped and his skull cracked open, brain matter oozing.

This was **It**. More painful than being ripped apart, more frightening than losing his mind, It was a simple declaration, shouted with all of the World's might, for him to** die**. An upheaval of his existence from the very existence he wanted to erase, an utter rejection of him from its reality.

It was the world's sentience that recognised him as utterly repulsive, and did everything in its power to wipe his _wrongness_ from her soil.

Bring it on.

He would _never_ let it win. He pushed against both earth and sky, refusing to die to the very last. And, somehow, he did not die. But the battles left him broken out of pain, and trembling out of fear.

At **It's** end, nothing was ever changed. Not a grain of soil was ever moved out of place. The sky, beyond the cave's ceiling, was as serene and dumb as it had always been. His bones and body were whole.

He laughed; laughed with a heart as inhumanly cold as his dimension. The darkness whirled out of his madly cackling Sharingan, an inky storm stretching out to claim whatever was in its reach. Zetsu wasn't, not this time.

"Are you going crazy?" White Zetsu asked tentatively, still a few paces back from him.

The whirling blackness receded. He stopped laughing.

Was he crazy? Was all this just pressure from so many things going wrong all at once: Sasuke, Itachi, the four remaining Tailed Beasts?

No. He had watched his comrade run his arm through the girl who loved him. After that, he would not lose his mind over mere stumbling blocks.

_**It**_ was a real force out for his very existence. That was fine. It just remained to be seen whose existence would be snuffed out first.

"I'm going to rest," sobered, he pushed himself off the floor with trembling arms. "And after that, I will be getting Kakashi's eye."

"You've forgotten –!"

"_No_!" when was the last time he had gotten passionate enough to shout? Black Zetsu's eye widened, undoubtedly asking the same question. "I will _never_ forget! I will see the Eye of the Moon through to the end! But if I go up against a Jinchūriki or a Bijuu in this state, and **It** claims me again, I will die. I need to find and destroy **It's** cause before I can go any further."

"You're going after the Uchiha cat?" asked White Zetsu, his tone a bit lighter.

"He knows nothing compared to us. However, he has given me a valuable clue."

"But you said that you couldn't find Nekobaa."

A black fist clenched. "I have the trump card. Only Madara knows of the old and malignant tumour embedded in this world's past; only _I_ can cut it out. That cat-woman is worthless to me now." He pushed against the ground that would have pushed back a few short minutes ago, and rose to his knees. "Once I get my other eye, everything will be made right again."

White Zetsu swallowed. "That'll be tough, even for you."

"**The Uchiha cat is still a problem.**"

The Sharingan whirled.

"My other eye, and then I'll fix everything. _All_ of the remaining Uchiha will be rounded up before this is all over." Zetsu swore they saw a ghost of a smile in the man's Sharingan, before it faded and Obito Uchiha collapsed face down in the dirt, out cold.

White Zetsu thought, as they carried him to a bed and cleaned and dressed his healing wounds, that silence was going to reign unless he did something about it. Too bad he couldn't think of anything particular to say. Not that that ever stopped him before, but his other half seemed to be in a bad mood so he at least wanted whatever he said to have a modicum of cleverness.

Just as he thought of something, Black Zetsu spoke.

"**He's chasing after his own goals. Relieving his disease is more important now than Madara's will.**"

"Um, I don't think that's really what he –"

"**This detour of his is going to take even more time away from Madara's plan. He's always been slow. It's been almost two decades already, and four Beasts are still loose.**"

"He's a lost cause then?"

"**No. He still has his use.**" The darkness pulsed and White Zetsu shuddered, never liking this 'bottomless pit of black madness' feeling he got whenever Black Zetsu got riled up. "**But I'm going to be working a bit harder now.**"

"Oh no…" White Zetsu groaned from true dread.

That meant more work for the both of them.


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the Know Your Village Arc, which will span 2 days. Day 1 has been split into 2 parts due to length, so I've named the chapters accordingly, but these aren't official chapter titles. Thanks as always to Ser Serendipity my beta for smoothing these chapters out. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Know-Your-Village Day 1 Part I**

The morning on which Team Kakashi discovered the Masked Uchiha's true identity would occur three mornings after Naruto's talk with Jiraiya. On the first of these three mornings, Naruto himself suffered an extremely painful awakening.

"Naruto! Wake _up_!"

"OWWW! What the hell Sasuke?!"

"Someone's been in our house!"

"What?" Naruto snapped to wakefulness and sat up quietly, his muscles tensing. The claw punctures in his arm could be dealt with later; they were already healing anyway.

"How d'you know?"

"Look." And Sasuke pointed ominously to the offending object beside Naruto's bed.

It was… another bed.

Much smaller than Naruto's, it was round with a simple wooden bedhead engraved with the Uchiha symbol. And it looked so _soft_, much softer than the mattress Naruto was currently sitting on. It was perfectly made with fluffy blue blankets and pillows.

And most notably, it was just Sasuke's size.

Naruto glanced down at the kitten who kept a cautionary hold on his arm, then at the bed and back again.

"It's a bed," he said tonelessly. Absently he realised, _'so that's what I kicked last night. I was so tired I didn't turn on a light.'_

"Yeah," Sasuke sounded as though a bomb was hidden under those fluffed and oh-so-inviting pillows. "Why's it here? You didn't buy it. And there are weird scents all over it."

"I didn't buy it, but I think it's for you."

"Why d'you think that?"

"Well, the Uchiha symbol kind of gives it away."

Sasuke conceded the point, and considered the new bed for a few moments. "I don't want it."

"Why?"

"They came into _our_ house and put it here without _our_ permission. Kaa-san would say it's poor form."

"Uh, Sasuke, you're not one for surprises, are you?"

"Once my home's not invaded."

There was a short pause of silence. "Sasuke. You're really territorial, aren't you?"

"What's wrong with wanting to protect your house from outsiders?"

"That's a yes then."

Sasuke's ear twitched. "You're naïve, Naruto."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Sasuke."

"Yeah?"

"You're going in the bed."

* * *

On the street below Naruto and Sasuke's apartment, a couple dozen people, shinobi and civilian alike, had gathered since the break of dawn.

Not by actually gathering in a single crowd; in a shinobi village, even the smallest civilian child had the sense to employ a little stealth when staking out someone's home. The shinobi, either camouflaged or Transformed, stood waiting in complete stillness and quiet. The civilians, keeping in mind their lack of chakra, were camouflaged almost as effectively.

They milled around in natural poses, chatting with friends, reading, watering nearby plants that were not theirs, delivering food to non-existent addresses, and for those who just did not have the zeal or the resources to put on an act, standing around in complete nonchalance.

A genin fresh out of the Academy would take all of five minutes to figure out who belonged to the group of patiently waiting spectators from those genuinely minding their own business. That was something for a civilian to be proud of.

But, in a single moment, their painstaking acts were almost rendered void. For when a vicious screech exploded from the apartment they secretly watched, shaking the windows with its passage and followed by a very loud and crystal clear shout of, 'Dammit Sasuke you almost took my freakin' ear off! It's just a _bed_!' every civilian, regardless of intent, halted to a dead stop and whipped their heads to the noise.

When the apartment was quiet again, the number of 'passers-by' on the street below had doubled.

* * *

"So, how is it." Naruto could not help if his words had to squeeze themselves through his teeth to escape. He was nursing a rapidly healing but still _stinging_ cut to his earlobe. Though Sasuke did look rather cute snuggled up under those blankets, only visible as two fluffs of ears, a darling pair of coal black eyes and a pair of plump pink cheeks.

It was worth it.

Sasuke did not answer at first, and he refused to look at the bloody cloth Naruto held to his ear.

"Sasuke."

The kitten flinched and dived under the covers. Naruto's eyes followed the wriggling mass until a tiny face popped out from under the blankets at the foot of the bed to look at him.

"I didn't mean to," the small voice mewed.

Naruto almost rolled his eyes. "Don't waste time saying obvious stuff Sasuke. I just want to know what you think of the bed."

Sasuke blushed and pressed deeper into the mattress. "It's soft. And warm."

"You like it?"

"Yes."

"See? Surprises aren't so bad."

Sasuke pouted. "It still smells like a bunch of weird people."

Naruto took the cloth away from his ear. The cut was nothing more than a scar now.

"Well when it was in the store a lot of people probably…"

Sasuke's nose was buried in the mattress, inhaling deeply. Naruto blinked. This was probably another weird cat thing that had a perfectly logical explanation.

Sasuke closed his eyes and inhaled. Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

"What are you doing?"

"Digging for the origin scent."

Naruto did not even waste a second trying to think that out. "What."

"All these scents are jumbled up and I'm looking for the strongest one."

"Oh. Why?"

"That's the smell of the person who got the bed. If I find it, I can make my nose smell it alone and ignore all the other scents."

That explanation only opened up several more questions for Naruto, but before he could ask any of them, Sasuke's eyes slowly opened. He smiled.

"Jii-chan…" Suddenly delighted, Sasuke threw off the covers and bolted off, tracking more of 'Jii-chan's' scent.

"Naruto!" _Found it._ About to follow, he paused when he felt something press against his hip. It was Jiraiya's book, tucked into the waistband of his pants the night before.

"Tales of a Gutsy Ninja, huh?" It really did not look like Jiraiya's usual fare. '_I already told you it wasn't_!' he almost heard Ero-sennin yell. He smiled and flipped through it, seeing his name pop up in a few places. Grinning, he eventually reached the back. Inspired by…

"Naruto! It's here too! Jii-chan's scent."

Sasuke zipped by the new bedroom door on all fours, the old one having been irreparably damaged by his, and Naruto's claws. Wincing a bit as he remembered, Naruto shut the book and trotted after the kitten.

His kitchen had changed. He had an actual countertop now, which was laden with baskets of fresh fruit and some new appliances.

"Naruto, here!" Sasuke was calling him to the fridge, the door still too heavy for the kitten to open.

Naruto set down the book on his new counter and opened the door; he and Sasuke inhaled. For the first time in Naruto's memory, his fridge was full of food, real ingredients people actually cooked with. More stuff than Naruto had ever felt the need to buy. After all, how many extra ingredients could one possibly add to cup ramen?

But even the never-used vegetable drawer, only brought to Naruto's attention by his new roommate, was fully stocked, almost to bursting.

Excited now by what else he might find, he picked Sasuke up and opened the freezer. Sasuke squealed.

Meat. And more meat. All wrapped up fresh in chakra-sealed paper. Beef, pork, chicken and even lamb. And separated from the juicy packages was a tub of ice-cream. Not just any ice-cream. It was one of those gourmet flavours with the ridiculously long names that tried to detail the ten and a half pounds of luxurious chocolate one was guaranteed to receive in each bite.

"What's this taste like, Sasuke?" Naruto was almost dazed. He had heard of them, seen them, and was even close enough to touch one once. But he had never _tasted_. When he was young, he never had enough money. When he was older, he felt too guilty to spend his hard-earned money on such decadence.

Ramen was different. That was a staple.

"I dunno," Sasuke sounded just as dazed. "Kaa-san never allowed it and Nii-chan would only buy me vanilla."

The two looked at each other. Then, as one, they reached out to touch the frozen nirvana.

Chakra sparked. They recoiled. Blinked. Tried again. Zap! Tried again. ZAP!

"Jii-chan…"

"Ero-sennin…"

They sighed. Heartbroken, they turned away from paradise. And blinked. On the table lay two letters, placed neatly side by side.

Leaving Sasuke on the counter to rummage through the fruits, Naruto picked up the letter that caught his attention first for its peerless white envelope. It made the other letter, a white scroll, look filthy.

Naruto opened it and pulled out a crisp, white invitation.

He read aloud, "'Addressed to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. You are cordially… cordially?'"

"It's a fancy way of saying that they're being pleasant and respectful," Sasuke piped up, sniffing around a basket of tomatoes.

"Oh. 'You are cordially invited to Hyūga Manor for breakfast at eight o'clock. We would be greatly pleased if you would accept this invitation, as it would also prove beneficial to completing the Know-Your-Village mission. We eagerly await your arrival. Sincerely, Hyūga Hiashi.'"

For a moment, Naruto was speechless. He'd never gotten a written invitation to anything, much less breakfast at Hyūga Manor. He read that line again.

Yup, he and Sasuke were officially invited to breakfast at Hyūga Manor.

"Wow." For some reason, his face was flushed. Oh, what time was it now? Naruto ran back to his bedroom and grabbed up the clock.

They had half an hour.

"Sasuke! Let's get ready to –!" The sound of several plump fruits bouncing on the ground interrupted him. Sasuke had knocked over the basket of tomatoes.

The kitten stood on the countertop, embarrassment making his face the same shade of red as the fat fruit he was holding.

In the past, Naruto would have yelled at him, or laughed, calling him an idiot either way. Now he only smiled - "clumsy cat" - and picked up the rolling fruits.

He was the idiot. Always picking a fight, insulting him, jealous of what Sasuke was, of what he wished he could be. Happy when Sasuke lost his family, and became the only other able to understand the despair of his own loneliness.

And knowing of his first bond's pain, what did the idiot do? He'd _left him alone_.

Not once did he treat him like a friend. Not once did he eat with him, play with him, invite him over to his house. He _knew_ someone out there was just as lonely as he was and he had just been too jealous, too _blind_ to…

"Naruto?"

Naruto, startled, looked up at the kitten. Worried eyes blinked back at him. "Are you okay?"

Naruto smiled and put the last of the tomatoes in the basket. He took the one Sasuke was holding and tapped him on the nose with it.

"If you eat this now, you won't be able to eat breakfast. Let's go get cleaned up okay?"

"'Kay," Sasuke pouted, looking longingly at the fruit.

"You like tomatoes?" Sasuke nodded. "Oh? I thought there wasn't anything you particularly liked."

"Why'd you think that?"

Naruto blinked. For a moment, just for a moment, he was sitting with his new team on those steps again, talking about his dreams.

He shook his head.

"Nothing. Never mind."

One ear dropped, an eyebrow rose. "Naruto you're weird."

"I'm not the one spilling tomatoes you clumsy cat!" He lifted the kitten high, tickling him mercilessly. Sasuke squealed, his cheeks pink with laughter.

'_Second chance?' Naruto asked Jiraiya. After wailing his heart out for what seemed like hours, he was exhausted and half-asleep. Jiraiya had volunteered to escort him home, just to make sure he did not fall asleep on a rooftop somewhere._

'_Yeah. Ever since Sasuke's arrived, it seems we've all got one.' The Sage looked out to Konoha, his eyes becoming firm. _

'_I promised Tsunade that I'll never leave her side again.' He turned back to Naruto, his expression gentle. _

'_Sasuke has a chance now to actually live without being held back by hatred. And you… only you know what circumstances you can change, what mistakes you can fix. Take full advantage of it. Any shinobi who has desired a second chance would willingly give their lives for it. It is not to be handled carelessly…'_

Naruto bundled the kitten in his arms. "C'mon, let's go Sasuke."

This was his – _their_ second chance. This time, the idiot would do it right.

* * *

Jiraiya tilted his head back. He was lounging in his new favourite spot; the frame of the window right behind the Hokage's chair.

"Tsunade."

She did not turn around. When he first starting using that spot as his personal couch, she found it irritating, but now she barely noticed. Jiraiya laying there just seemed so natural now.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it's possible to love someone too much?"

This time, she did turn around, and fixed him with a glare similar to when he had perched behind her the first time.

"For the last time…"

"No, not that. Though my offer still stands."

"As does my answer."

"Pity."

"What are you talking about then?"

"Naruto told me last night that he loves Sasuke too much."

"What did you say?"

"I told him he was being ridiculous."

"Well there you go."

"But then I started thinking about it," he continued. Tsunade blinked. "It's an undeniable fact that loss of love can lead to hate. That's what created the Sasuke of old. It's what created Pain."

"You think that if something happens to Sasuke, Naruto will turn out like one of them," Tsunade stated tonelessly.

"No."

"Good, because that would be –"

"I think he'll be worse." Jiraiya slowly turned to Tsunade who stared at him with slightly widened eyes. "Sasuke's more than precious to him now. Sasuke's _his_."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the inflection. "His?" she repeated.

Jiraiya shook his head, gesturing in empty air while his mouth searched for words. "Naruto's a guardian now. Sasuke's guardian. Sasuke belongs to him. Sasuke is _his_."

"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself? He'd act the same for any of his other friends."

"No." A simple, absolute rejection. "I talked to him last night. What he's feeling scares him. He's never felt a love this intense before, and if it's broken…" Jiraiya shook his head violently. The less-than-a-year old wound on his chest, gouged out by crimson hatred, throbbed dully. "Naruto will break. Broken shards can end up anywhere."

Tsunade slowly raised a finger, ready to poke some sense into Jiraiya's thick skull.

"Broken shards huh?" Jiraiya tried not to wince as her perfectly manicured digit drew closer. "I wonder if Naruto's really your student."

Her finger hovered less than a centimetre from his temple. Jiraiya's eyes strained to keep it in his vision.

"I thought we talked about this. Naruto _is not_ Nagato."

"I know he's not. I'm just saying –"

"_What_ are you saying? Are you telling me that after three years, Naruto has _none_ of your teachings buried in his heart? That there's nothing of _you_ in him to keep him from becoming broken shards?"

Jiraiya did not answer right away. When he did, there was something in his eyes that made Tsunade have to stamp down the rising warmth in her face.

"I think you just gave me an idea, Tsunade." He sat up, slowly pushing himself off the window frame, his eyes bright and his smile fierce.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, while her sixth sense registered a prickling disturbance at the edge of her awareness.

"I'm going to need some time," Jiraiya genuinely did not hear her; ever since they were genin he had never purposely ignored her. Though not gaining his attention did irritate her: on some vague inner level that she would rather have Danzō's exorcism room seal her right arm than acknowledge.

"Jiraiya."

"I don't know if it's even possible at this point."

Tsunade's irritation travelled from her vague inner consciousness to a tick above her right eye.

"Jiraiya."

"I could probably get that Tori girl to help."

Okay, she was going to hit him. As she pulled back her middle finger with her thumb, her sixth sense came to the fore, prickling sharply along her skin.

She looked up.

Jiraiya's sixth sense, dulled by his construction of mysterious plans, came a second too late and the man was effectively glomped by two grinning kids.

"Naruto! What in the world are you –?"

"Jii-chan." Jiraiya looked down into a flawless pair of black eyes. Sasuke smiled and his cheeks became an even brighter shade of pink. "Thank you for the bed, Jii-chan."

Jiraiya, whose ears had not felt this hot since he was Sasuke's age, averted his eyes, only to meet Tsunade's sparkling with mischief.

"I told you it wouldn't work," she said with a matching smile.

"Shut up," Jiraiya mumbled, trying to find a place to look that would not look back at him. "And get off me already!"

He shoved Naruto off, who scowled.

"We're just saying thanks."

"Yeah, well, I'm your sensei so it's normal for me to do stuff like that. You don't have to thank me."

"But Kakashi-sensei's my sensei and except for vegetables he doesn't…"

"Enough! How'd you know it was me, anyway? The scroll clearly said that –"

"What's the deal with the ice-cream Ero-sennin?"

"Yeah, that was mean! Putting it there and we can't even eat it?"

"Yeah!"

"That was my idea," Tsunade sniffed. Both of them turned accusingly to her. "I knew you two would try to eat it first thing in the morning and I could not allow it. The seal will come off after dinnertime tonight."

"All the way till tonight?"

"Baa-chan that's –"

A carefully painted fingernail stabbed two centimetres into the hard oak desk. "I'm sorry, did you two have a problem?" she asked with a honey-sweet smile.

"No, no problem," was the simultaneous, and terrified, reply.

"Good."

"So, how did you know it was me?" Jiraiya asked irritably.

"Sasuke sniffed you out."

"Yup!"

Jiraiya glared at the softly purring kitten on his chest. "So the Hokage's scroll means nothing in the wake of your nose, is that it?"

The kitten tilted his head. "What scroll?"

"Ah, the one on the table, right? We didn't read it," Naruto answered cheerfully. Tsunade made a sound between a genuine laugh and a viciously triumphant 'ha!'

Jiraiya's frown deepened.

"What'd it say?" Naruto tried to placate his master.

"Nothing important," Tsunade answered with a wave of her hand. "Just a bunch of lies." She received twin looks of confusion. "So you sniffed out Jiraiya and came straight here. Let me guess, he tried to cover up the scent?"

"Yeah," Sasuke pouted. "I didn't like it. Don't do that next time, Jii-chan."

"Yes, Jiraiya, Sasuke-chan doesn't like it," Tsunade's voice trembled with mirth.

Jiraiya's face was crimson now, the painted lines on his cheeks blending in perfectly. "Why didn't you read the scroll?" he asked helplessly.

"Oh. Because we got this," Naruto pulled out an envelope from his pants pocket that was so white Tsunade's eyes watered. There was only one clan in Konoha who used paper as flawlessly white as that.

"A letter from the Hyūga?"

She and Jiraiya read the invitation. In mirror images of each other, their eyebrows shot up.

They slowly looked up and finally noticed that Naruto was wearing the formal orange shirt with black sleeves that Jiraiya had bought him, along with full length black pants. Sasuke was dressed in his only Uchiha shirt but he was wearing full length pants as well.

As one, the two turned to the clock.

"You're going to be late," they said in unison.

"Ah! You're right! C'mon Sasuke, we gotta get going!" Tsunade returned the invitation to him.

The two watched as the blond shinobi leaped over Konoha's rooftops at lightning speeds, drawing closer to the Hyūga compound.

"Breakfast at the Hyūgas," Jiraiya said emotionlessly.

"Hiashi must've heard that the Inuzuka's got the jump on him."

They turned to each other.

And burst out laughing.

* * *

It was quiet. Not silent, since the air was penetrated by the various sounds of dishes clinking, chopsticks tapping and jaws working.

Barely, though. The Hyūga ate so quietly they rendered any sounds they did make negligible.

Naruto swallowed. The food was excellent. Never had he tasted a piece of grilled fish so succulent, not even during the feast Princess Koyuki had prepared for them in the Land of Snow. And the miso soup slid down his throat like salted silk.

He glanced at Sasuke, who knelt beside him in a cushion three times too big for him. He ate as quietly as the Hyūga, and with elegance so inbred it almost looked comfortable. The graceful ease with which he navigated his food with his chopsticks made Naruto even more self-conscious than he already was.

Sasuke and the Hyūga came from a world that Naruto had never experienced as anything other than an outsider. A very distant outsider. Though it did make Naruto feel a little better when he saw his friend subtly but doggedly avoiding the nattō.

As Sasuke picked up a prettily painted bowl to drink his miso soup, Naruto quickly noticed that his eyes were not the only ones on the kitten.

Though Hinata had probably tried to explain to them the best she could, even the blond could tell that they were not fully prepared for Sasuke. The cushion aside, the previous dishes they had set out for him, while small for a human child, were still much too big for the Uchiha.

The wares he used now, quaint but peerless white enamel painted with lavenders, were so tiny and mismatched from the stern whites and blacks on the rest of the table that Naruto deduced they came from a little girl's very expensive tea set. It was probably the same for the chopsticks.

They were all staring. Quietly, and subtly, but Naruto could tell. He had been under the gaze of countless eyes for most of his life, after all. And no matter how they tried to hide, the Hyūgas' eyes carried too much presence; with so many pearly orbs focused on one point, the object of focus could not help but feel he was being slowly smothered by a thick, white blanket.

There were even some activations of the Byakugan, though those were swiftly retracted.

Sasuke flawlessly ignored all of it, never squirming or changing the speed at which he ate. It reminded Naruto of the kitten's old self that never batted an eye at the blunt (and deluded) stares of affection he received from all of his female classmates.

Well, all except Hinata. Even Naruto, whose gaze of blue envy had never strayed from that bastard's back, noticed that those white eyes had never alighted there. She always seemed to be looking somewhere else. Naruto, in the total second of his life that he had dwelt on it thought it strange, but that was not a problem: Hinata was a strange girl, after all.

Even now, her eyes were not on Sasuke. She was sitting opposite the kitten, but had only glanced once or twice his way.

Naruto shrugged it off and returned to his food. It was weird that Hinata was blushing, but it probably didn't mean anything.

After swiftly depositing one of his fish onto Sasuke's plate, and bluntly averting his eyes from those happily wiggling ears, his eyes strayed to Hinata again.

And found that hers were staring right at him. He froze. So did she. Her face and ears turned bright crimson. Naruto swallowed. Hinata hiccupped and her face suddenly disappeared behind her bowl of rice.

He felt a sudden stab of intent from the head of the table and looked. Hiashi Hyūga was staring at him. For a moment, Naruto could not feel his own heartbeat.

Hiashi cleared his throat. All at the table turned to him, some more grateful for the distraction than others. He addressed Sasuke directly, making the tiny Uchiha sit up straighter. After thanking them for coming and a few more pleasantries (Naruto bowed his head in thanks whenever Sasuke did), he questioned the kitten.

"What do you know about the Hyūga?"

"Otou-sama said that they were a powerful dōjutsu clan and a noble family of Konoha like us. Their Kekkei Genkai is the Byakugan and by using it, they can wield powerful taijutsu known as the Gentle Fist."

Mumbles of approval rose around the table. An elder Hyūga, whose gaze made Naruto cringe, avouched Sasuke's words.

"He's been taught well."

"Indeed," affirmed Hiashi. "Well, Sasuke, all of what you said is true. The Hyūga protect and serve Konoha by using our Bloodline Limit in conjunction with the Gentle Fist…"

And so Hiashi expounded. It was all basic knowledge for one who had studied it, or in Naruto's case, for one who had to rip open his tenketsu with the Kyūbi's chakra and _still_ break all of his fingernails just to beat it. Hiashi was rightly proud of his clan's Kekkei Genkai and unique taijutsu, but only revealed enough to keep Sasuke's attention, and earn a bit of admiration.

Naruto tuned out after ten seconds and glanced at Hinata, nonplussed as to why she was watching him earlier. She was blushing (which only grew worse under his gaze) and fiddled with her fingers in her lap as her father indirectly praised the distance of vision her Byakugan had achieved.

When the Hyūga patriarch was finished, Sasuke released a small 'oh' and his ears stood up: he was impressed.

Hiashi caught the motions and turned to his eldest daughter, whose crimson cheeks swiftly drained their colour.

* * *

"I think father likes you, Sasuke-chan," Hinata Hyūga smiled as she led her two guests to one of the training courtyards. "I've never heard him talk so much in one sitting."

"He's kind of like my dad," said Sasuke, who was riding on Naruto's shoulder. His ear fur tickled Naruto's neck, but the blond did not mind.

That and he was a bit distracted by the young girl who was hiding as she followed them. She had been staring at Sasuke all through breakfast with eyes sparkling in unabashed adoration. Naruto suspected that she might have been the previous owner of that tea set.

"He gets really proud when talking about the clan," Sasuke noted. Hinata gave a small smile.

"If father's allowing me to show you the Gentle Fist personally, I think it means that you've made it into his good books."

Sasuke's cheeks became a little darker and he purred shyly. Hinata smiled at him, but quickly looked away when she caught Naruto's eyes on her.

His face was so close…

"Are you in your dad's good books?"

The question stopped Hinata in her tracks. Sasuke was looking right at her, his bottomless eyes suddenly piercing.

"W-why would you ask that?"

"I want to know, Hinata-neechan." At Hinata's gaze, Sasuke's ears suddenly lowered. "I never made it into Otou-sama's good books."

"What?" Naruto finally entered the conversation. "What does that mean?"

"I told you, Naruto, that Otou-sama would only look at Nii-chan. He never noticed me: all he wanted was for me to be like Itachi. Even after I learned my first jutsu, all he could say was 'grow into a fine shinobi like Itachi.' He was always proud of Itachi and would say to him 'as expected of my child.' I wanted him to say that to me at least once…" Sasuke looked up, meeting Hinata's frosted lavender gaze. "When you talked about your dad, it sounded like you never heard it from him either."

Naruto watched her, and for the first time, she did not look away. Her mouth drew into a line and she took in a gentle breath.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Sasuke-chan. I'm sorry, but I cannot answer your question. I honestly don't know what father thinks of me now, or rather, if his thinking of me has changed at all."

Sasuke breathed out a soft mew. Hinata brushed his hair gently with her fingers. Her knuckles grazed Naruto's face, but she endured it along with the rising heat in her ears.

"You're very sweet, Sasuke-chan."

That was all she could take. She whipped around and walked briskly to the courtyard, leaving two faintly blushing boys in her wake.

* * *

"_Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!_"

Hinata danced and the air around her sparked into shining blue life. For four meters around her, the azure trails traced by her nimble fingertips curved, gathered and fell, the veritable chakra lasers forming a criss-crossed web of protection around the single Hyūga.

Naruto could feel the energy of her chakra crackle through his hair, sparking sharp and deadly. It was fearsome, but strangely exhilarating to watch.

After half a minute, though it seemed much longer than that, Hinata finished, her arms that had whipped into a continuous blur around her now coming to a gentle rest at her sides. The chakra dazzled out like winking stars and a perfect ring was grooved into the ground around her.

Panting slightly, she looked over to her audience, two of whom were sitting on the engawa and one hiding behind the rice paper door behind them.

"Amazing," the object of the hiding person's affection whispered. "That was amazing Hinata-neechan!"

Hinata opened her mouth to thank him.

"That was impressive."

It was Hiashi Hyūga. Hinata's thanks died in her throat, replaced by a squeaky 'meep!' Her eyes followed her father as he walked slowly up to her spectators.

As though to explain his sudden appearance, he stated, "I saw the light of your technique all the way from the opposite end of the compound. For a moment I thought that Neji had returned to the village."

He stopped beside Naruto, who was either suffering from severe paralysis, or simply _fascinated_ with the bamboo fountain at the opposite end of the courtyard.

"You've grown the technique," he noted, when a few seconds of silence passed by.

"Y-yes, I have father."

"And how is your work on the actual Kaiten?" Hinata's entire body turned to ice. Her lips pressed together and her eyes quivered, the faint pupils constricting a bit.

But her father would not let minute signs of his daughter's distress keep him from getting an answer. Sasuke glanced to the ground, frowning slightly under the pressure he felt from the man; pressure that reminded him of unhappy times.

Finally, when it was evident that her father would not leave, Hinata spoke.

"I-it's not ready for combat, but Neji-niisan said that I have perfected the basic form. All I need to do is focus on how much chakra I'm producing."

"Show me."

The two words she dreaded most were spoken with dreadful finality. It was bad enough to do it in front of her father, but why in front of _Naruto_?

His blue eyes were on her and a heavy heat bloomed in her stomach, making her wonder if she could even manage the spinning part.

She trembled as she got into her stance.

"Hinata." Her head snapped back up: Naruto was staring right at her. And he was _smiling_. "All you gotta do is say you'll do it, and your nindō will take care of the rest."

"My…"

'_I never go back on my words. That's my nindō, my ninja way.' _

_Naruto. Thank you._

Her stance firmed and veins bulged around her steadied eyes.

"I will now perform the Kaiten," she said, her voice crystal clear. Hiashi's eyes widened minutely.

"_Hakkeshō…_" _Naruto, I'll show you just how much I've grown. _"_Kaiten!_"

She spun and her chakra spread, spinning with her in a luminous blue dome. It only reached about one and a half meters from her body. The dome was not perfectly closed: blurred openings showing her dizzyingly whirling form, her skin and hair glowing in the light of her own expended chakra.

It was nowhere near Neji's technique. But Naruto did not mind. Watching her try so hard and seeing the small smile on her face at her own progress made Naruto much fonder of this incomplete Whirl that sang of her nindō.

When Hinata came to a stop, Hiashi was already walking away.

Naruto scowled and stood up, about to speak despite Hinata's face drawn in panic, when the head of the Hyūga clan stopped.

"Hinata. Keep at it."

"Y-yes father."

"Hanabi, hiding like that from an Uchiha is disgraceful to our clan. If you wish to meet him, present yourself proudly to him."

With those words he walked away, leaving a slightly dejected but greatly relieved daughter, a furiously blushing one, an annoyed Naruto and a silent Sasuke in his wake.

* * *

"You are the cutest thing I've ever seen in my whole life," said the identity of the shadow that followed them to the courtyard, Hyūga Hanabi.

She looked up at Naruto, her eyes hopeful. "Can I hold him?"

"Uh, that's really up to –"

Sasuke went to her quietly, purring in slight discomfort as she hugged him and nuzzled his soft fur against her cheek.

"Sasuke-chan is really kind." Naruto turned to Hinata, who was standing next to him, her cheeks faintly flushed. She spoke to him, but could not seem to look directly at him.

"Yeah. The old him was kind too."

"Really?" this surprised Hinata. She had always thought of the Uchiha as she did of frozen acid. Cold and too dangerous to touch.

"Yeah. You kinda had to spend a lot of time with him to see it. And then you had to squint _really_ hard and stay _really_ positive and…"

Hinata was laughing. Naruto smiled.

"You're laughing. Good." Hinata finally turned to him, and was startled at the open look of relief on his face. "You wouldn't look at me. So I thought I was doing something wrong."

Hinata looked distraught. Naruto, now startled himself, backed up a step.

"Wha – wha – no, I didn't mean anything bad I –"

She took his hand; pressing on in the face of Naruto's shocked expression. She did not even consider it. Naruto was a guest in her home and she had made him feel so uncomfortable.

It was inexcusable. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm so happy that you're here, so please, don't think that you've done anything wrong."

Looking into those earnest eyes, Naruto could only nod dumbly while Hanabi and Sasuke watched them both. After a moment or two had passed, at her younger sister's call of her name, Hinata's face, ears and neck turned fiery red and she dropped Naruto's hand like a hot brick.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked cautiously when the girl did not speak for another several more seconds.

"Naruto," Sasuke called and Naruto, grateful for the distraction, turned to him. "We have to go see Iruka-sensei."

"Ah! That's right, we promised to do the Academy before lunch. Um, sorry for this Hinata but –"

"Come with us, Hinata-neechan."

For the first time since meeting Sasuke-kitten, Naruto had a knee-jerk reaction when confronted with one of Sasuke's old habits: with unrecognised authority, Sasuke would make statements about where to go, or what to do, or how to train, as though there was no other course of action but to obey him.

And it always pissed Naruto off.

But, since he was dealing with the baby version of the bastard, he tried to be nice and twisted his face into the best smile he could manage.

He looked like he had biting ants crawling up his spine.

"Sasuke, Hinata has a lot of stuff to do today and –"

"You don't know that Naruto," came the frank reply. Sasuke jumped from Hanabi's arms into Hinata's, ignoring the girl's disappointed pout. "I want Hinata-neechan to come."

_That's that_, Naruto could not help tacking on to the end of the baby's sentence. He snapped and grabbed Sasuke out of Hinata's arms.

"I told you that Hinata has stuff to do today," he said sharply. Hinata's eyes widened; she had never heard Naruto sound so strict. Neither had Sasuke.

Naruto did not notice. "You can't go around telling people what to do and where to go Sasuke. Don't be so spoilt."

Sasuke's body jerked in shock. Before anyone knew it, tears overflowed, and the kitten was bawling. A moment later, he was swiftly lifted from Naruto's grip and brought into Hinata's gentle embrace.

She rubbed his back soothingly, whispering soft, sweet words to him. When Sasuke's cries reduced to hiccups, she spoke to Naruto, her eyes to the ground beside his feet.

There was something troubled in those eyes.

"Sasuke-chan is not spoilt," she said shortly. "He was right – I don't have much to do today. If I'm not too much of a burden, Naruto-kun, I can accompany you to the Academy."

She walked off in the direction of the compound gates, with Sasuke in her embrace and a dumbfounded Naruto staring after her.

* * *

Neither of them would look at him now. And he had no idea what to do to change that. They walked along the sloping banks leading to Konoha's lake in the thick, uncomfortable kind of silence that Naruto hated. Despite that, he was not the one to break it.

"You should not have yelled at Sasuke-chan like that."

Naruto stopped. So did Hinata. The wind blew, shifting her hair to reveal Sasuke's sleeping face.

"But Hinata, he – he was forcing you…"

"That is not why you were angry, Naruto-kun." The skin under her eyes was dusted pink, but her eyes, staring straight ahead, were stern. "I know that you understand Sasuke-chan better than anyone else. I believe he simply wanted to spend more time with me, but he was awkward in expressing himself. Am I wrong?"

Naruto thought back. _'Come with us, Hinata-neechan.'_

His cheeks were too pink then, his smile too small, his eyes lowered. It was not an absolute request, but a shy one.

Naruto groaned, putting a hand to his forehead.

"Why did you miss it?"

"I thought of Sasuke the way he was back then and I…" Naruto shook his head. "I'll apologise."

Hinata nodded. "You should."

They continued walking, the air cleared between them.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

A small undulation stirred in her throat. The action stirred a memory like long-settled soil from a riverbed.

_She's gulping again. Like the Chūnin Exams._

"Why were you so harsh with Sasuke-chan in the first place?" Naruto slowed his walk. Hinata adjusted easily to his pace.

"I saw it in Tsunade-sama's office. When Sasuke-chan was being disobedient, you were gentle. Just now, I don't think he was being as bad."

Unaware, Naruto stared at the same patch of ground as Hinata.

"You said he was kind, right?"

"Yes."

"He's really sweet too. He says really cute stuff sometimes. He likes to play around, and he's a little spoilt. He's even a little clumsy. And… he's strong. Stronger than you would believe, Hinata."

Her eyes were on him now, mesmerised. She had never heard Naruto speak like this. He was proud. When it came to Sasuke, he was just so _proud_.

"A lot of shi – stuff happened to him. It changed him and turned him into an arrogant ice-prince bastard."

Hinata caught something that was too close to a laugh in her throat and shoved it down.

"But when you melt all that ice, this is the real Sasuke. I kinda knew that when the old Sasuke was still here, but the ice-prince bastardry was too thick back then."

"I see," Hinata's voice quavered with suppressed chuckles.

"I couldn't do anything about it back then." Hinata's laughter died in her throat. Naruto's pace dropped to a snail's crawl, his eyes straying in the direction of his feet. "I couldn't pull him out of the ice. I couldn't save him." Naruto suddenly looked ahead, his eyes firm.

"I promised myself that I won't let him go back to what he was before."

Hinata understood. As Naruto spoke, many things began making sense.

"So you were angry because you thought Sasuke was going back to his… arrogance?"

"Yeah. He used to put on his 'ice-prince authority' voice and try to boss me and Sakura-chan around." Naruto smirked. "I never let him."

"That's not good enough, Naruto-kun." Like before, her sternness stopped him cold, and her eyes were troubled. "Sasuke-chan was shaking. All of a sudden, you just grabbed him and started yelling in his face. You scared him."

She swallowed thickly before turning fully to Naruto and looking up into his stricken blue eyes.

"Sasuke-chan is Sasuke-chan. But Sasuke-chan is also Sasuke-kun. It's inevitable that he will show parts of his old self, because a person's core does not change."

Hinata wanted to look away now. Hinata wanted to blush and stutter now. But she knew, from Naruto's unwavering attention, that what she was saying was too important for her to do either.

"But if you're so afraid of him 'changing back' that you lose your temper every time you're faced with – his ice-prince bastardry – then he'll become scared of you. And then he will lose himself trying to conform to you, or rebelling against you."

_Like me and Neji-niisan._

"If that happens, your desire to preserve his heart will become pointless."

She bounced the baby a little on her shoulder, smiling affectionately at him.

"He really loves you. He's a good child. If you correct him gently and firmly, like you did in the Hokage's office, I think he will listen."

Naruto's voice was lost somewhere in his throat. It took a lot more effort to find it and push it out.

"Y-you're right. You're right, Hinata."

Hinata smiled at him, the blush returning to her cheeks.

"I like it better when you're gentle too."

His face grew warm. He knew he was embarrassed, but more than that, like dust in the rush of a summer breeze, his dejection was swept away.

Come to a silent understanding, they walked on in quiet ease.

"Thanks."

Her heart jumped. "W-what for?"

"For knocking some sense into my head. Sasuke's not going to go to the darkness again just because he's a brat sometimes, right?"

Hinata smiled. "Yes."

"I was worse than him anyway, right?"

"Yes."

"Hinata!"

"A-ah! Th-that's no fair – Naruto-kun you tricked me!"

"Keekeekee," Naruto snickered foxishly. "Now we're even."

"Geez…" Hinata blushed.

Naruto put his hands behind his head, leaning back into an ambling gait. He glanced casually at Hinata, who held the sleeping baby tenderly as she walked. A second wind passed, blowing her hair softly around her head.

Naruto swallowed and looked ahead.

_This… is nice. _

He missed when Hinata glanced at him and thought the same, her ears glowing pink beneath her hair.

After a few more steps, Naruto's shoulders stiffened and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his face. Hinata imperceptibly swallowed.

"Naruto-kun…"

"Yeah. I know. They are part of the tour. Guess I have to face them eventually."

"Yes."

"Hinata, it doesn't help if you agree like that."

"O-oh. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, I –"

"Forget it," Naruto sighed. He took a comically large inhale, his chest swelling, and turned around to face the two Green Beasts of Konoha 'stealthily' crouched behind him.

Tenten was standing behind them, a throbbing crease in her temple.

* * *

_How did it come to this? _

The heel of Hinata's palm grazed Lee's chest. The spandexed ninja jumped back, wincing, and realised that he had made a mistake. Hinata did not give him time to regret it; she dashed in, spinning on the balls of her feet like a dancer. Dangerous sparks of chakra flashed from her fingertips. Lee went into his own spin, sticking his foot out like a steel pipe. The two spins collided with a great flash of chakra.

Hinata's feet made twin grooves in the ground as she skidded back. Lee backflipped through the air, landing on one knee in perfect form.

The leg that made contact with Hinata's chakra was smoking. The hand that had touched Lee's kick was bleeding.

Lee glanced at his leg, a slight frown on his face.

"Hinata-san. I believe I have underestimated you." He slowly got to his feet, gingerly testing the weight on his smoking leg. He winced again. "Please forgive me."

"Not at all, Lee-san," she said, covering her own wound in glowing green chakra. "It is my honour to spar with Neji-niisan's teammate and closest friend."

Lee's eyes widened, shimmering with ever-ready tears. "I am Neji's closest friend?"

"Yes. He speaks better of you than of anyone else."

The tears burst their banks, flowing like miniature waterfalls. Off on the side-lines, Gai made a choked sound, tears bulging in his own eyes.

"Hinata-san, I am truly happy to receive that news. I believe that, in honour of our duel, we should no longer hold back on our techniques."

This shocked the Hyūga. "You think I am a worthy opponent for it?"

"Yes," Lee smiled, while his hands dipped beneath his leg warmers, his fingers unhooking a series of clasps. "You are much different from Neji, but I do not believe that you are any weaker than him."

He pulled out the leaden grey weights from his leg warmers and tossed them; they tumbled through the air, jangling loosely, until they hit the ground 10 meters away. Their impact cratered the earth and the shockwave shook the entire Training Area like a localised earthquake.

Sasuke's ears flattened to the sides of his head. His eyes bulged and he stared in unhidden shock at Lee who, noticing this, flashed him a thumbs-up and a blinding smile.

"Also, Hinata-san," he placed one arm behind his back, the other held out in a traditional fighting pose. Hinata tensed and the veins around her eyes bulged with the extra blood flow.

"I am determined to prove my ninja way to little Sasuke. Therefore, I will be defeating you today." He inhaled deeply.

Hinata's eyes widened and her body _moved_, a desperate dive to her left. It was not nearly fast enough.

Lee disappeared. Half a blink later, thunder cracked on the field.

Lee's kick was an inch away from Hinata's temple. That inch was protected desperately by the great volumes of chakra pouring from Hinata's arm, which was raised in a standard block.

Hinata _focused_, and crackling bolts of energy discharged from the chakra shield, cutting through Lee's leg-warmers and overalls. The stench of scorched flesh permeated the training field.

Lee, seeing that it was no use, kicked off of the near physical chakra protection and leaped back, landing almost five meters from the Hyūga. He closed that distance in milliseconds, aiming for a decisive punch to Hinata's gut.

Her chakra leaped again; there was another deafening thunder-crack. Lee kicked off her chakra again, and Hinata stumbled back, panting.

"Hinata-neechan!" Sasuke finally managed to call out. Lee's two attacks had occurred in less than two seconds, giving the kitten no time to breathe let alone speak.

Hinata smiled at the kitten before sinking into her Jūken stance once more, her jaw set. Lee was literally running circles around her, kicking up clouds of dust and grass as he searched for an opening.

Hinata took a deep breath and spread her arms.

"_Hakkeshō Kaiten!_"

The dome of whirling chakra had not improved much since its appearance an hour prior. The gaps in the dome, where the chakra was significantly thinner, made easy openings for Lee.

He _launched_, digging out a patch of the ground as he kicked off of it, seeking to end the match with a ridiculously powerful Dynamic Entry.

The sole of his foot barely grazed the flimsy chakra of the Kaiten when Hinata dropped. Lee kicked a hole through her hair as her upper body flung itself backwards and her legs spread into a painless split, dodging the concussion by millimetres. The only blond in her audience swallowed, unconsciously moistening his dry mouth.

The speed and power of Lee's attack threw him sailing over Hinata's head; the Hyūga turned on her hands and the balls of her feet, her lips peeled back from her teeth in a rare smile.

She sped after the flying beast, dense chakra gathering in her palms.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, not taking his eyes off of Hinata as she raced after Lee, who was still screaming through the air, helpless under the force of his own power.

Since Tenten had been holding the kitten in her lap since the match began (ignoring the jealous glances from the blond who was not even aware he was giving them) she was the only viable choice for answering the question.

"I think Hinata used the Kaiten as a sensory screen instead of defence."

"What does that –?" Sasuke ran out of time.

Lee threw out his feet, making contact with the ground in a localised quake and accompanying crater. In the fraction of seconds it took him to rise, Hinata took a single step and leaped five feet into the air.

The chakra in her palms trailed deceptive wisps around her hands. She charged for Lee, hair blown back from her face, the full map of veins around her eyes exposed.

Lee did not have time to look up. He only moved, rotating on the ball of his foot like Hinata had done earlier and throwing out his smoking and burnt leg into a final blow.

Lee's Whirlwind collided with Hinata's Double Palm, and the entire field shook.

_Seriously, how did it come to this? _

As the chakra dispelled, shredding the air with searing beams of blue light, Naruto glanced at Tenten, or more specifically at the kitten she was hugging close to herself as they rode out the blast.

_It had all started with him, hadn't it?_

Sasuke had been immediately enamoured by Tenten's weapons. As she switched from blades to cudgels to chains, handling each weapon with flawless expertise, Sasuke had asked if she had a Kekkei Genkai.

Flattered, a smiling Tenten explained the truth to him about the seals and scrolls she had tactfully hidden in exorbitant numbers all over her body. After showing off the huge scroll she wore across her back, an excited Sasuke had then turned to Lee, expecting an ability that was just as amazing.

What he got was the news that Lee could use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu.

Kindly put, Sasuke's interest in Lee immediately poofed away like one of Tenten's chokutō.

At Lee's insistence, the kitten flippantly told him that someone who could not use ninjutsu or genjutsu was not a shinobi.

As a true student of Konoha's original Green Beast, Lee took this insult as encouragement to push on to greater heights, and immediately challenged Hinata (the only viable replacement for his absent rival) to a match.

Lee had not expected much of a chance to show off his true skill against the 'weaker' of the two Hyūga.

Hinata swiftly taught him how mistaken he was.

And now there was a smoking crater three meters wide and two feet deep in the middle of Training Field Four, which was going to give the groundskeepers a fair headache to patch up.

Needless to say, Lee had accomplished his purpose.

"Amazing," Sasuke whispered, running up to meet the two fighters who were wearing similar grins of satisfaction.

Hinata had managed to prove something herself after all, if the floored look of admiration Tenten was giving her said anything.

"Y-you fought a dōjutsu with just taijutsu?!" Sasuke gasped, his cheeks flushed with awe. Lee smiled brilliantly and crouched, meeting Sasuke's eye.

"That is the Power of Youth."

Sasuke blinked. "The thing you were talking about before?"

"It's also called the Will of Fire. Have you heard about that before, Sasuke-kun?"

"No, I haven't."

Unnoticed, Tenten's eyes sparkled. _Lee, you remembered._

"Well, when I found out that I could not use ninjutsu or genjutsu, my dream was to show the whole world that I could still become a fine shinobi with only taijutsu."

"_Only_ taijutsu? I would have given up."

The corner of Lee's lip quirked upward, "Well, that was my dream, but there were many times where I too almost gave up. But then Gai-sensei found me. He never allowed me to give up and taught me the true value of hard work. That's how I got to this level."

"Is that the Will of Fire?"

"Yes. Gai-sensei took me under his wing and passed everything on to me. He called me a genius of hard work, and gave me my nindō."

"Your ninja way?"

"Yes. To work hard and never give up, that's my nindō! To inherit something, to live and fight by an honourable code of life, and to protect your comrades and those most precious to you, all of those things together are the Will of Fire. Those who have it burning inside will always be strong and never give up; they will be Leaves that stay green and youthful forever."

He presented a fist to Sasuke, who slowly looked at it, and back at him. Lee smiled, an open offer of friendship.

Sasuke took it, bumping fists with the Green Beast.

"Now we are comrades, Sasuke-kun." The kitten, startled, looked back up at the bushy-browed youth. "I swear to you, I shall protect you with my life."

Two people in that field could no longer hold back their tears. One obvious, the other less so.

"Lee! You've grown, grown beyond my wildest expectations!" Gai powerfully exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing his student in a crushing embrace.

"That was beautiful Lee!" Tenten rushed over, in a rare moment joining in their 'embarrassing' behaviour. "You remembered, you really remembered!"

"You thought… I would forget?" Lee squeezed out, Gai's hug constricting his lungs. Though he looked quite happy, even with his steadily decreasing air supply.

"I thought about what to say… all night… and even while doing… my early morning five hundred laps around Konoha."

And suddenly, Tenten looked less enthusiastic.

"What's Lee talking about?" Naruto asked the only person in the field able or willing to talk to him. Though she started blushing again.

"Well, last night we got together and talked about who would tell Sasuke-chan about the Will of Fire. We all agreed it should be Shikamaru-kun, but he's not here so we decided that whoever got the first chance would tell him."

"Oh. Then why didn't you tell him?"

"U-um, w-well – I was going to but – you see – um…"

"Uh, it's okay. Really, forget about it Hinata." Naruto was worried; the girl's face suddenly burned bright red and she was fidgeting like someone covered in biting insects.

It was not a good look.

Hinata's lip firmed. How long could this go on? She had managed to talk to Naruto normally – she had even spoken sternly to him had she not? And the worst had not happened.

He had not scorned her.

"I forgot," she said in a steady but quiet voice. Naruto heard her. "I was happy that you came to visit. So I forgot."

Naruto's face was warm again.

So was Sasuke's.

"Lee? There's something I don't understand."

Gai released him; Lee fell a full foot before he hit the ground. "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke averted his eyes, his tail swishing meekly. "Well, I don't understand how I'm your comrade. I'm not a shinobi."

Lee blinked, his prominent lower lashes fluttering. "I am afraid I am now the one who does not understand, Sasuke-kun."

"I only know one jutsu. So I'm not a shinobi. So I don't think I can be your comrade."

Lee crouched again. "Ability does not determine friendship, Sasuke-kun. Shinobi or not, we are friends. Therefore, we are comrades. But I am surprised Sasuke-kun. You know a jutsu?"

Sasuke nodded shyly.

"Ah!" Tenten realised. "It's that fireball thing, right little cat? Let's see!"

Sasuke acquiesced to Tenten, quickly forming the seals. Naruto's eyes narrowed. Sasuke's tail was trembling.

_Baka, you're too nervous._

Sasuke blew out as hard as he could. The thin stream of fire, ending in a little bubble of flame, drew nothing but silence from his audience.

"That sucked."

Sasuke whipped round to the only one blunt enough to point that out, his face crimson but his eyes narrowed. "What?"

"You heard me," Naruto threw his hands behind his head and looked to the side. "Don't lie and say you can do something when you can't."

"I can do it!" the kitten screeched indignantly, the hair on his tail rising.

"Believe it when I see it."

That did it. Furious, Sasuke spun round to face Naruto fully and whipped his hands into seals.

Naruto's eyes widened; he dived spectacularly out of the way as the large fireball roared towards him, scorching the ground beneath it in an impressive diameter.

As the flames petered out, the blond slowly turned from the blackened grass to the Uchiha who caused it.

Sasuke was looking at him over the glowing embers, his cheeks still preventing him from making a true scowl.

"Huh. I've seen better."

"Naruto!" Sasuke dashed for him, his claws ready to scratch into that impassive face. He was caught mid-sprint and lifted high.

As he struggled, his eyes caught a flash of white. "No!" He won't be fooled by that smile. "Put me down! I don't like you!"

"Sasuke."

"Leave me alone!"

"Sasuke… Sasuke? Sasukeee…"

Sasuke felt him nuzzling his cheek. His lip twitched. "Nooo! Stop it Nawuto!"

"Nawuto? Who's Nawuto huh? Huh? Baby Sasuke can do jutsu like a grown up but can't talk like a grown up," the blond sang.

Off-key. Sasuke broke.

Team Gai and Hinata watched the glowing moment in silence, as Naruto fell back in the grass, laughing and tickling the baby who squealed in delight.

* * *

When Hinata returned home, she immediately went for her room. Certain wounds from her battle with Lee needed to be treated and dressed, especially her hands.

When she opened the door, the last thing she expected was to see Hanabi kneeling in the middle of her floor amidst a sea of unravelled yarn, fumbling with her pair of knitting needles and looking like she was about to either cry, or stab someone with them.

Hinata blinked, took in the scene for a few moments, then went to get her medicine kit. She sat on her bed and started applying ointment to the massive bruise on her forearm from where she had successfully blocked Lee's kick.

She shuddered. An attack that could still deliver damage even when it was successfully blocked was nothing to trifle with.

"Hanabi?" she said to the girl who was staring at her with unhidden despair as she slowly bandaged her arm. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted to make something for Sasuke-chan," the girl confessed in a trembling voice.

"Oh, I see." A few more moments of silence passed, as Hinata tended to the rest of her wounds.

"What happened with you?" Hanabi finally asked.

"I sparred with Lee-kun."

"Did you win?"

Hinata shook her head. "It was a draw."

When she tied off the last of the bandages around her fingers, she reached into her knitting basket and pulled out a ball of orange yarn.

She smiled.

"Well now, how about we knit something for Sasuke-chan together?"


	16. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 **

**Know-Your-Village Day 1 Part II**

Who knew they made kitten-sized takoyaki?

Not Naruto, who popped a few of the miniature octopus spheres into his mouth. Enamoured with the exotic kitten riding on his head, the vendors gave him the whole box free. In fact, hanging from Naruto's elbows were handbags (also free) filled with boxes of snacks, juice, toys and anything else Sasuke merely glanced at.

They were getting heavy. And with the sun beating down unusually hot, carrying them around was increasingly draining. The blond contemplated dropping off the stuff at his apartment before heading to the Academy, which they still had not managed to visit – ouch.

At the sharp claws tapping his skull, Naruto merely blinked and held up an octopus ball to his head, where it was swiftly devoured. Sasuke did not mind baking in the sun apparently, and lay comfortably atop Naruto's head, his dark fur soaking in the rays.

"Naruto?" the muffled voice asked, still chewing some of the treat.

"Yeah?" came the equally muffled reply.

"Are you sure we can't go on the rooftops? Everyone's staring at me."

"Yeah," Naruto was familiar with the discomfort of being stared at, though for an entirely different reason, "but you're going to be living in the village now, Sasuke. You've gotta walk the streets eventually." He swallowed. "Everyone's just getting used to you. It won't be forever."

"Okay." Naruto fed him another octopus ball. "Naruto. Are they your friends?"

Naruto turned just as two pale shinobi leaped down from the nearest roof.

"Hello Naruto-kun," the greeting was accompanied by a small, annoying smile.

"Oh, hey Sai. And uh…"

The girl, whose hand Sai was holding, stared blankly at him. She was wearing a black body suit with a grey knee-length skirt. The look was a bit militant to Naruto, but to Sai the skirt was a small triumph. She had not allowed herself such vanities under Danzō's care.

Naruto, who expected her to introduce herself, leaned back a little when she simply continued staring. She did not blink.

"This is Tori," Sai said, after an awkward half-minute had passed.

"Oh. Nice to meet you. I'm Uzumaki Naru –"

"I know." Naruto's body jolted at the sudden movement in that eerily still face. "Who is the cat-human on your head?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke introduced himself. Tori blinked, stared at him for a moment, then returned her gaze to Naruto.

Next to Sai, that was the shortest time someone had taken to come to terms with Sasuke.

"So, uh, why are you here?"

"We were walking around the village when we noticed that the streets were overly crowded. There is no special event happening in Konoha, nor any natural disasters, nor any fires, nor –"

"Yeah, I get it Sai."

"Tori and I jumped on the roofs to see what anomaly was causing the backup. It was then that we noticed that you have a very large crowd of people following you."

Naruto leaned a little to the side, taking in the unashamed faces of said crowd.

They had every right to be there. Most of them had risen before the sun and waited patiently and quietly – in the cold, for hours – at Naruto's abode to catch a glimpse of Konoha's prodigal and transfigured son, only for the dumb blond to go leaping off to Hokage tower without so much as a cursory glance to spare for them.

So now, to hell with the blonde's rights to privacy and personal space.

As soon as he looked at them, the flashes of several cameras went off uninhibited in the back of the still-civil mob. The ones in front probably had not had cameras on them, and did not want to lose their place to go get one.

"Yeah, they've been following us for a while."

"So, you and Sasuke-kun are the anomalies." Sasuke growled a little. Naruto stroked the kitten's ear with a placating finger.

"It'll die down."

"I hope so." That was Tori again. Really, she needed to blink or give some kind of warning before she talked.

"So, uh, you two are…" Naruto held up his pinky, and received similar blank stares. "Um, well, nice meeting you Tori, we're just gonna…"

"Sai-sama." She was still staring at Naruto. That was creepy. "He appears quite manly to me."

Of course, creepiness was purely subjective. Naruto was sure that she was a perfectly lovely girl once one got to know her.

"Are you sure he does not have a dick?"

As the crowd observing them tittered, passing the news to the back faster than Lee could burst into tears, Naruto mentally revoked every nice thing he ever thought about her during the ten or so minutes he had known her.

Sasuke squeaked. "N-Naruto, you don't have a –?"

"Don't listen to them, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "Sai is just a bastard, and his girlfriend is –!"

"Naruto-kun," Sai was still smiling. There was a small hint of danger in that smile. Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Where are you going?"

"The Academy," Naruto said through gritted teeth.

"May we accompany you? Walking with you will be easier –"

"No."

"Thank you."

Naruto opened his mouth. Then closed it. He turned around and continued walking, leaving deep, angry footprints in the innocent street.

Sasuke frowned; jarred by Naruto's stomping, he tightened his grip on his bed of sunburst hair.

"You see, Tori? Even when someone refuses you, by saying 'thank you' you can insist on your way and avoid being scolded for being rude."

Naruto's stomping got worse. Sasuke tugged on his hair, but to no avail. He endured the bumpy ride with a groan.

"Naruto-sama," said Tori as they neared the blonde's apartment. "I am certain that this is not the way to the Academy."

The following crowd muttered its agreement.

Naruto sighed. Loudly. This would probably be a pain, but Sai was his friend. He should be nice to his girlfriend. And he had the secret feeling that Sai would knock his teeth out if he wasn't.

"I'm just going to put down these bags."

"There's a better way." And from the pouch on her hip she pulled out a slip of paper no bigger than her hand. A circle of sealing script was drawn on it.

"Put the bags on this and flow your chakra into the paper."

"Um, all of these probably won't fit in –"

"Do it."

Naruto hid the desperate twitch of his eyebrow as he put the paper on the ground and put the bags over it as best he could.

He followed her instructions. There was a small poof and all of his gifts, even the ones that were not touching the paper disappeared, sealed neatly away.

"W-whoa, that's pretty cool. How'd you –?"

"Here." She thrust a whole stack of similar homemade seals into his face. Naruto blinked and slowly took the stack.

"Uh, thanks."

Another awkward silence descended, and once again Naruto tried to leave.

"I have done you a favour, yes?"

Now Naruto was confused. In front of a female version of Sai, that was not good. Any word misspoken could lead to cripplingly embarrassing statements that stir up much anger.

Naruto had to be careful.

"Sure. Okay, yeah."

"Then, as social custom dictates, you must listen to one of my requests."

Now Naruto was lost. But so far, no one was talking about dicks or going into a diatribe about having no emotions, so it was all good.

"Okay."

"Then I wish to examine your Eight Trigrams seal."

"…. Huh?"

* * *

_We ended up here anyway_, thought Naruto as he stood in his apartment, trying not to giggle as Tori's feather-light fingers grazed his bare abdomen.

Sasuke, sitting on the kitchen table, watched in fascination. Naruto did not know why. Anything even remotely romantic about this was stamped out by the blank slate expression and glassed eyes that were Tori's normal look.

"This seal is beautiful," she muttered tonelessly. After Naruto's experiences with Sai, he believed that her words were heartfelt.

She made a few seals, her fingers working in lightning fast contortions. In the time it took Naruto to blink, she had already pressed palms warmed with chakra to his stomach.

The seal came forward, the black ink prominent even against Naruto's tanned skin.

"O-oi!"

"It's alright," Sai smiled. Tori's chakra, visible like a healing jutsu, disappeared into his stomach. "She won't be long."

Tori unrolled a blank scroll and pressed it against his seal with the flat of her palm.

She made a one handed sign. "Seal!" Naruto felt something tug from beneath his skin: with a distinct hiss, an exact copy of his seal was burned into Tori's scroll.

She inspected the imprint, nodded when she was satisfied, and then tied the scroll with a string.

As she straightened, a flabbergasted Naruto looked from his stomach to the scroll in her hands and back.

"Uh, what did you –?"

"My errand for Jiraiya-sama is now complete."

"Ero-sennin? What did he –?"

"I will be leaving now, Sai-sama."

"Hey, you didn't answer my –!"

"Will you be okay by yourself?"

"_Hello!_ I'm talking to –!"

"Yes, Sai-sama. I believe I can go on my own from here. Naruto-sama." Naruto, at the sudden formal address, choked on his own rants. "I was surprised. Other than your and the Kyūbi's chakra, there are two more chakra signatures inside your seal."

Naruto, who was ready to start complaining again, stopped mid-breath, which left his mouth hanging open in quite the unflattering way. He was lucky that his small audience of three did not care much.

"They were… warm." She abruptly turned to Sai and bowed slightly. "Shall I see you when the sun is down?"

"Of course," Sai answered with a true smile.

Naruto shut his mouth.

When Tori left through the window, Sai opened his. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"For what?"

"She was one of Danzō's subordinates like me." He noticed the dulling of Naruto's eyes and subconsciously frowned. He did not want to make Naruto upset. But he did not want to lie either.

"She's gotten a lot better, but she's still… awkward."

"Like you?"

"Yes," Sai's smile did not waver, "She's been trying very hard, but she still makes many mistakes. Thank you for being kind to her."

"U-uh, yeah, no problem."

Sai nodded and went to the door. "As we agreed, in exchange for letting Tori inspect your seal, I'll get the crowd off your back so you can go to the Academy."

"Oh, uh, that's okay. You don't have to."

"I do." He turned to Naruto with one last smile. "It's a promise to a comrade, right?"

* * *

Unfortunately, Sai could only fulfil his promise for fifteen minutes. As he passed out free and absolutely darling paintings of baby Sasuke to the crowd, who were waiting until Naruto finished some vague and unknown errand in his apartment, a masked Anbu alighted in front of him.

Members of the crowd backed up, properly respecting the Black Ops' presence.

"Lord Jiraiya requests your presence in the Hokage's office."

Sai blinked. "Why?"

That one question produced an odd tremble in the Anbu's mask. He had obviously been hoping that Sai would not ask that.

"It's Tori."

Sai blinked again. "What about Tori? Did she not show up?"

"No. She's there." A silent moment passed. Sai's gaze did not waver as he sensed mild panic rising in the man in front of him. "There has been a breakdown in communication between Tori and Lord Jiraiya, and he wishes you to intervene as an intermediary," the Anbu explained in a single, long and relieved breath.

Sai, after spending his entire life under Danzō's command, knew more than well how to read between artfully woven lines.

"What did she say?" he asked dully.

The man flinched back a little. Obviously he was not expecting the acuity. He swallowed, but reported the incident in an overly detached tone.

"She defended the existence of Naruto's manhood, then posited that Lord Jiraiya was jealous because his own bodily stature was indirectly proportional to his – er – 'pride'."

Sai blinked. The crowd gawked. Sai sighed.

"She could barely speak before, but now she's chirping too loudly," he shook his head. And smiled. "At least she likes Naruto."

"It would seem so," the Anbu deadpanned.

And so, after apologizing to a groaning crowd (who realised by that point that Naruto had long left the apartment), Sai left them to go rumbling off after the blond again.

Well, fifteen minutes should have been enough time, right?

* * *

"Hello, Naruto."

"Hello… Shino."

"Where are you off to?"

"The Academy."

"I see." Silence. "My home is closer."

"Yes. I know. But I really should go to the Academ –"

"Naruto." Naruto flinched. "You should visit my home first. Why? It will prove beneficial to completing the Know-Your-Village mission."

"True, but I'll visit you later because right now I have to –"

"Naruto."

Sasuke was irritated. All this twitching could not be good for Naruto's health. That, and the sudden jerking motion almost threw him to the ground twice.

"That will not be acceptable. Why? Because you will forget about me and neglect to visit after your business in the Academy is finished. Just like you forgot about me when you first returned to the village after your two and a half year training journey."

The dark fog of an unforgotten grudge steamed off of Shino like a bad stench. Naruto glanced to Kiba, who was staring at some point in the sky with practiced detachment. Akamaru did the same.

Naruto had the sneaking suspicion that their noses were the reason for Shino's sudden appearance in his path. The guilty glances dog and dog-boy shot at him only confirmed it.

Naruto sighed. They were already a little late to see Iruka. What was another half hour?

* * *

Kikaichu terrified Sasuke. These three simple words took two and a half hours from Naruto's life.

When the kitten saw the sweeping black mass of loudly buzzing insects coming towards him, his eyes went so wide that Naruto could see the veins of their whites, and then he was gone.

Gone.

Naruto stared at the spot where the kitten had sat for a few seconds before his brain registered the information sent from his eyes.

He and Kiba blinked simultaneously and slowly looked at each other. Shino stood silently, his kikaichu lazily returning to their hive.

Naruto looked around. They were in the thick forest surrounding the Aburame compound, similar to Kiba's but much more moist, and darker.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah Kiba?"

"Did you know that Sasuke can hide his scent?"

Two and a half hours later, Naruto was speeding over Konoha's rooftops, pulling leaves and moss from his person every few seconds, and hugging a very embarrassed Sasuke-kitten close to his chest.

* * *

"Iruka-sensei?"

Silence.

"A lot of stuff happened – I really tried to get here on time."

Silence.

"So the lunch thing you planned didn't work, but the kids still really liked him. And we busted up that dumb quiz –"

A fiery glare shot in his direction.

"Uh, I mean, we interrupted –" the glare intensified, "– _rudely_ interrupted an important exam by jumping through the window, but the kids loved it! Aren't the kids what matter?"

Burning sulphur and ash rained from the dark skies of Iruka's gaze.

Naruto was a statue, sitting like a jockey on the lone swing, staring at his impending doom. And the worst part was that Iruka was holding Sasuke, so he did not even have the adorable kitten on his head to deter his sensei's anger.

The loveable blond look just did not work as well without him.

But, as a true friend, Sasuke pulled through for him.

"Are you mad at Naruto, Iruka-sensei?" the kitten mewled. "It's not his fault. I just saw those bugs flying at me and I…"

The effect was instantaneous. "No, well, I am upset, but not so much." Iruka closed his eyes and sighed. "It's not like I can't understand, but Naruto made a promise to me and –"

"Bye Sasuke-chan!" a girl walking hand in hand with her mother called out, waving energetically. "Come to the Academy tomorrow too, okay?"

Her brother spotted Naruto. "Are you gonna come too, Naruto-niichan?"

"Yeah! Make sure you can hit that target next time!"

"Yeah! I'll show you!"

Their mother nodded at them with a smile. They lived only about a hundred yards away from the school. Iruka barely remembered what this woman looked like. In fact, several similar parents who Iruka had only seen once in the Academy's entrance ceremony had taken a sudden initiative to personally pick up their kids.

The fact that all those parents had eyes stuck fast to Sasuke brought their seemingly responsible intentions to light.

Iruka sighed. "Let's go somewhere more private."

* * *

"So you haven't thought about it."

Naruto slowly shook his head, half for Sasuke's sake, who was resting comfortably in his usual spot.

"How did you expect Sasuke to become a genin?" Naruto had no answer. Iruka sighed again.

"Naruto, right now you have unofficial custody of Sasuke. Really, the only reason it's not official is because of your age. Still, while he's like this, no one is going to take him away from you. You know what that means, don't you?"

The blond nodded. "Luckily, you have people like me and Jiraiya-sama to help you. But you need to think of some of these things for yourself as well."

Iruka folded his arms as he leaned against the school's backmost wall: the one facing the sparring grounds where genin hopefuls practiced taijutsu and shuriken techniques.

Even though school just let out, the usual stragglers who stayed behind to practice were missing, courtesy of parents hoping to catch a glimpse of Konoha's returned Uchiha.

"How are your finances?" Iruka asked, passing an envelope full of Academy forms for Naruto to fill out. "Surely the money you made from that last mission must be running out."

"I don't have problems with money," Naruto said quickly. "I'll just take some more missions and –"

"Leave Sasuke here alone?" Naruto's argument died in his throat. "Who is going to take care of Sasuke when you start taking missions again?"

A low growl started in Sasuke's throat. "Quit bullying Naruto."

Iruka reached out and rested a warm hand on the kitten's head. The kindness of his smile disarmed Sasuke's anger.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just trying to bring a few things to Naruto's attention." Iruka's smile faded. "You might not understand, Sasuke, but Naruto's been alone for his whole life. It's this village's fault, and it's my fault as well."

"Iruka-sensei, that's not –"

"Don't interrupt," he said gently. "Naruto has always lived alone, fended for himself. It's made him very independent. But that means that he's less likely to think about making arrangements for someone else's life.

"To watch over and protect the lives of those precious to you is something that Naruto knows very well." Iruka met the blue gaze that had not left his face. "But being _responsible_ for another's life is something he still has to learn. After all, you're only responsible for the people who belong to you. This is Naruto's first time bearing that kind of weight."

"I don't understand," Sasuke complained softly.

Iruka smiled. "I didn't really say it for you to understand."

Sasuke pouted. "That's not fair."

Iruka chuckled and stroked the kitten's soft hair. "It's not something you have to understand just yet. But, as long as the right person gets what I'm saying, you'll be all right."

While Sasuke tried to figure out his sensei's words, a whiskered smile bloomed beneath him.

"I hear you, sensei."

"Naruto, you understand?" Sasuke's jealousy was plain. "Explain it to me," he demanded.

"Well… I can't really say all that stuff over again."

"Naruto," Sasuke meowed in frustration. Iruka laughed and patted the kitten's head.

"Hey Sasuke, Naruto's going to enrol you in the Academy, right?" The kitten's ears stood up. Iruka had struck gold. "Think you'll be my top student again?"

"Of course," Sasuke sniffed. Below him, Naruto laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You'll barely fit in the seats, Sasuke. You're so small your ears will be the only part of you Iruka-sensei can see."

Iruka chuckled: that was true after all, even if Sasuke scowled at him for it.

"Don't worry, we've made arrangements concerning that. Sasuke won't have any problems. Before you know it he'll be graduating from the Academy and I'll be giving him his headband –"

"I will." Iruka blinked. Naruto looked straight on at him, his gaze set. "When Sasuke graduates, _I'll_ give him his headband."

Iruka's eyes widened for just a moment. Under his ex-student's gaze, he could only smile.

"I wasn't thinking. That's right… You're the only one qualified to do that, Naruto."

* * *

Sakura put down the book she was reading with a sigh. It was a well-written romance, one of her favourites, but after her third perusal of it she could not help but put it aside.

She looked out the window. The paper thin curtains fluttered under the slight breeze, their paleness quickly absorbing the burning orange light of the setting sun.

_Orange, huh? _

She smiled. The look on Naruto's face when he was called out on that was just too hilarious. But even that could not entertain her for long; she had used the memory as entertainment too many times.

Instead, she raised her hand, and flinched when her fingertips touched tender skin. During her death sprint back to Konoha her body, thirsting for chakra, had almost drunk from the forbidden dam. The precious culmination of nearly three years of chakra storage was almost drained in an instant because of mere _impatience_.

Those thoughts agitated Sakura, so she had taken to rubbing the centre of her forehead to calm herself. For the skin to be tender like this, how many times had she rubbed that spot over the past few days?

Sakura exhaled. It was getting to her, the quiet boredom of her room, the monotony of her days. She missed her studies, she missed helping out with patients, she missed arguing with Ino, she missed Naruto's idiotic chatter about ramen, she even missed his terrible attempts to ask her out on a date.

Wow. She really was bored. At least during Naruto's hospitalization,.he could not even keep awake long enough to become bored in the first place.

"Uh, did that lady say room one-o-one, or room one-one-one?"

Great. Her senses were so numbed with inactivity that misfired synapses in her brain were filling in the gap.

"Room one-one-zero, Naruto." _Wait, it couldn't be._

"See why I have you around 'suke?"

"That's not a compliment, Naruto."

The door opened. "You smartass little –"

"Language, Naruto."

"Oh now you know – hey Sakura-chan – now you know language but what about when Tori said 'dick' huh? How'd you know about that?"

"Shisui-nii liked bawdy jokes. Nii-chan told him not to say them around me, but he slipped up sometimes."

"Uh, 'bawdy'?"

"It means pervy, Naruto."

"Oh, like Ero-sennin!" Sasuke scratched between his ears with his tail, his eyes closed in a troubled expression.

Finally he said, "You don't have a very big vocabulary, do you Naruto?"

Naruto blushed, then tried to act like he hadn't. "Hmph! I know words 'n stuff."

"'N stuff?"

"Shut it you little –"

Sakura's shock finally dissipated enough for her to intervene.

"Naruto?"

Naruto's mouth snapped shut. He blinked and seemed to take in where he was. When he spoke, his voice was much softer.

"Hey, Sakura-chan."

Sasuke, who was lying atop Naruto's head, waved meekly.

"Hey yourself. What are you doing here?" She eyed the thick brown envelope in his hand. "What's that?"

Naruto half lifted the arm carrying the envelope, rotated his shoulder a bit and let the arm fall.

"Oh uh, just some stuff Iruka-sensei gave me."

Naruto's eyes wandered over her body. Her arms, her legs, her neck, and even dipping under her pyjama top; she was wrapped from head to toe in bandages.

She was better. The colour was returning to her skin. Her face looked fuller. Her eyes were calmer. Her hair was pretty and clean like it was supposed to be. And she had gotten the drips removed a day or two ago.

But that crutch was still leaned up too close to her bed. And there were still so many, too many bandages…

"I'm sorry."

Sakura blinked in surprise. "For what?"

"I –" Naruto gestured weakly, "I didn't go to Baa-chan about Sasuke. If I had, she would have stopped the mission sooner, and then you wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to –"

"Naruto," she was laughing. "That's the last thing you should be apologizing for. It's our own fault that you lost faith in us."

That was a physical blow to Naruto. He fell back a step, causing Sakura's mirthful eyes to harden.

"You were afraid of Danzō's power," her voice lowered to a solemn tone. At Naruto's shocked gaze, she added, "Kakashi-sensei and I talked about it."

She looked away from him for a moment, to the rapidly darkening sky. The sun had already set.

"Think about it. Itachi. Pain. All the dangers in this world, all the perils we face everyday. And yet Konoha civilians don't revile their weakness and cower in fear. They have no reason to. Why do you think that is?"

Naruto barely needed to think about it. "Because they've got the Hokage and us protecting them."

Sakura's smile was sad. "Huh, that's the first question I've ever asked you that you've gotten right, Naruto." At the indignant protest, she chuckled. "Yes. They have faith that we'll protect them. They know this. Therefore they aren't afraid."

When she turned back to the silent boy, her smile was still sad. "You see? You were afraid of Danzō. That's proof that you lost any faith in us to protect you. And –" she cut off Naruto's weak protest, "you were right to do so. We failed you. Miserably. It was _your_ mission, and we let another steal your place. Naruto…"

She bowed her head in utter repentance. "I'm sorry."

It was silent. The air in the room held on to Sakura's remorse, making itself heavy.

Sakura stayed with her head bowed, until she felt two gentle and slightly trembling fingers come under her chin and lift it.

Her eyes met shimmering blues and a shaky smile. "Don't do that, Sakura-chan. I'm not worth that."

"But we –"

Naruto shook his head vigorously. Sasuke held on, too fascinated by the scene before him to protest.

"If what you said is true, then I'm the idiot who lost faith in his friends. But not anymore," now Naruto cut off Sakura's interjection, "I'm not afraid of Danzō anymore. Your words slapped some sense into me, Sakura-chan. So hold your head up, okay? Please."

Somehow, having her face so close to Naruto's softened her voice. "Okay."

Naruto looked relieved. Sasuke purred, noticing their position, especially with Sakura's chin tilted upward like that. He had a good memory; Shisui-nii told him there was only one thing for a man and woman to do when in this position.

"Kiss her," he whispered in Naruto's ear. Loudly.

Naruto's eyes turned white. As did Sakura's.

And then, a bandaged but powerful palm thrust into Naruto's chest, sending him stumbling out of control into the opposite wall.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-what are you doing?! Idiot!" Sakura screeched, clutching the front of her pyjama top closed (though it was never open in the first place).

"S-sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto's voice was a bit tight as he struggled to pull himself out of the him-sized dent in the wall.

"How did she do that?"

"Sasuke? Hold on a sec, I'm really kinda stuck here."

"No. Naruto. How. Did. She. _Do_ -?" Sasuke gasped. Sakura, with a guilty look on her face, was slowly coming off the bed, reaching for her crutch. "Stay there!" The shrill fright in his voice startled them both.

Naruto_ pulled_ and finally came free of the wall. Sakura was staring at Sasuke with plain hurt, while Sasuke glared at the girl with distrustful fear.

The kitten looked back at the Naruto-shaped dent in the wall and trembled. "Monster. You're a monster!" he accused, pointing at Sakura's pale face.

"Sasuke, enough."

"But Naruto -"

"Her name is Sakura Haruno. She's -"

"She's sick! She's in the hospital because she's sick right? So how -?" He looked back to the crumbling drywall.

"Oh please, that's nothing."

"Huh?" The blond took Sasuke from his head; the kitten stared at Naruto, stupefied.

"One time she punched me so far she actually broke a Konoha record!" Naruto smiled. Sasuke blinked, even he knew it was not normal to smile at the memory of being punched.

"And another time, one punch from her broke up a rock as tall as this entire hospital!"

That was an exaggeration, but Sakura only smiled a little, her cheeks warm. Sasuke was looking at her again, childlike awe swiftly replacing his fear. "She did that? She's got no muscles."

Sakura's cheek swelled a bit, and she decided it was time for her to defend herself.

"I don't need to be bulked up like other ninja," she sniffed, flipping a bit of hair out of her face. "I can keep a womanly figure and still be stronger than all of them."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You're stronger than all of them?"

Sakura blushed but, well, it was not a lie. "Yes. I am. The only person stronger than me is my Shishou."

"That's Baa-chan," Naruto supplemented.

"That pretty nee-san?"

"Ah, yeah. Actually Sasuke, she's more of a lying old hag -" That was when Naruto was rather rudely interrupted by a hardcover romance novel flying at his head. He dodged, leaving the poor book to make its own dent in the wall.

"Wow," Sasuke whispered, peeking at the book over Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto. Bring Sasuke-kun over here please."

The last place he wanted to go was to a Sakura whose smile could frighten the dead, but if he did not, she would come to him.

Naruto was at her bedside in less than a second.

"Now Sasuke-kun, my Shishou is known as the Strongest _and_ Most Beautiful Woman Alive. You know that ninja can make themselves stronger using chakra, right?" Sasuke nodded. "Well, my Shishou perfected that technique using razor-sharp control of her chakra. With her precision, she can split the earth using only her finger."

Sasuke's jaw dropped and his ears stood straight up, floored as his imagination undoubtedly ran wild.

"And you… you're…?"

Sakura grinned. "Not quite." She leaned forward, the sudden movement making Sasuke jump. "But I'm close."

Sasuke did not smile, or nod. His gaze was undecided; he no longer disliked her, but she was no Hinata. Both of his former teammates saw plainly what he was thinking, and Naruto decided to act.

His jaw worked a moment before he nodded, his decision made. He plucked Sasuke from his shirt and deposited the startled kitten into the arms of an equally startled Sakura.

"Naruto?"

"Uh, Naruto – wait –"

"Sasuke." The two fell silent. "Sakura was your friend, before you lost your memories. She's been waiting a long time to see you."

Sasuke tilted his head, obviously confused. Sakura was way too old to have been any of his friends.

Naruto continued. "She's wanted to see you more than anyone. So, just talk to her, okay?"

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked again, reaching out as Naruto went for the door. "Wait, Naruto…"

"I'm right outside," he assured, holding up the envelope he had somehow managed to keep a hold of even after Sakura pushed him. "I'm just gonna see if I can fill some of these out."

"But –" The door shut with a soft click.

The two were alone.

Sasuke let his arm drop. After a few moments of silence, he slowly leaned back until he flopped on his butt. His back was still to Sakura, his tail swinging slowly back and forth. He purred unhappily in his throat; the sound was loneliness itself, audible yet wordless. Sakura swallowed nervously, but kept silent. She had learned from her childhood failures: when Sasuke was brooding, sometimes the best thing to do was shut up and let him brood.

Finally, the kitten stood up and turned three-quarters to her, blushing faintly.

"You're… really stronger than all the ninja in the world?"

Sakura smiled, and stabbed a hole in the bedside table with a single finger.

* * *

"So Lee-san was the one who taught you about the Will of Fire?"

"Yeah. Lee's awesome. But I think Hinata-neechan's the best."

"You really like Hinata huh?"

Sasuke nodded shyly. He looked around the empty room as though expecting Naruto to burst in any moment, which was not all that unlikely, and stood up on tiptoes to whisper in Sakura's ear. She still had to bend down almost to the mattress to meet him.

"She kinda looks like my mom."

Sakura never heard such sweet and painful words. Her eyes suddenly filled; she blinked rapidly as she straightened.

'_I think she's the prettiest nee-chan here.' _

"Sakura-neechan?" Sasuke noticed that her eyes seemed just a bit too wet.

"Sakura." Sasuke's ears twitched. "Call me Sakura."

Sasuke squirmed, his shoulders rotating. "I don't really know you all that well. And Kaa-san said it's rude to use a big sister's first name."

The old Sasuke never cared about being respectful - he would have called her by her first name whether she wanted it or not. He never cared for his mother's words.

Or perhaps he could not bring himself to be that child who followed them.

"You call Naruto by his name, right?"

"Naruto's Naruto," Sasuke insisted stubbornly. "You're not Naruto."

Those words hurt. They caused a pain in her heart almost as bad as the one three years ago when he…

'_Sakura. Thank you.'_

After all this time, she still had not caught up to Naruto. _'You're not Naruto. I have no bond with you like I do with him.'_

That… was the truth. She had no real bond with Sasuke – she knew very well that her affection for him was one-sided, and they were barely friends before he left.

It hurt. Damn it. If it was going to hurt either way, she might as well insist on her real name.

"I'm Sakura," she affirmed solemnly. "That's what you've always called me. I'm not your 'nee-chan' like Hinata. I'm Sakura."

Sasuke's tail wagged in agitation. Sakura kept firm, meeting his gaze head on.

She thought he would grunt, or hiss and run off to Naruto. _'I don't like her. She's weird,'_ his complaints echoed clearly in her mind.

But he did none of this. After a few tense moments, Sasuke pouted and looked away, tracing a circle in the bedspread with his tail.

"Fine. Sakura."

The pain in her heart receded. Sakura gave him a toothy smile. "So, Lee-san and Hinata sparred huh? How was it?"

Sasuke grinned and, forgetting all about his recent defeat, went into an animated description, jumping and flailing with his arms and tail, making appropriate noises for Hinata's 'chakra hands' and Lee's 'super-fast speed'.

And, in the midst of Sasuke spinning wildly to demonstrate the Kaiten, her eyes filled again.

When had Sasuke ever talked to her like this? When did the dream of simply sitting with him and listening to him talk about his day come within her grasp?

Sasuke fell down, tottered back to his feet and started spinning again. Well, the reality was not quite what Sakura had in mind, but it was more than she ever thought she would receive.

The old Sasuke had barely looked at her, even when she tried from morning till dusk to catch his attention, to have him say one small word of acknowledgement to her. But the Sasuke who sat on her bed, rambling on and on about the friends he'd made like Hinata-neechan, Kunai-neechan (Sakura giggled at Tenten's new nickname) and Lee, had told her with serious eyes that he wanted to make friends with her too, even if he did not remember her.

She had happily accepted his friendship with teary eyes, and silently promised that she would punch Sai and Shino when next she saw them. Sasuke had not named them as friends, so it was fine. Tori would be exempted, since it seemed she honestly did not know any better. If she got the little bird out from under Sai's wing soon enough, there might still be time to make her a normal, functioning member of –

"Sakura?"

Sakura snapped out of her reverie. Sasuke was staring at her, or trying to – his eyes were a bit unfocused from all that spinning.

"What's a sensory screen? Kunai-neechan said Hinata-neechan used the Kaiten as a sensory screen."

Sakura thought on that, replaying the battle as best she could from Sasuke's playacting.

"I think she used the Kaiten's chakra to sense her surroundings, rather than defend her." She reached for the book she had been reading; before realising that it was still embedded in the wall from when Naruto had made her throw it by being an idiot.

So she picked up her water glass instead. "Pretend this is the Kaiten." She raised her fist. "Normally, the Kaiten would repel oncoming attacks like this." She bounced her fist off the glass. "Hinata did it different. By removing his leg weights and opening the Third Inner Gate, Lee was moving way too fast for even the Byakugan to track. So she gave up on sight completely and used her chakra to see for her. As soon as Lee's kick touched the Kaiten's wall, Hinata was able to feel it and react faster than if she had relied on her sight."

"Oh! That's why she could dodge it that time!"

"Right," Sakura tapped him on the nose.

Sasuke smiled. "You're real smart, Sakura."

At the unexpected compliment, her cheeks turned the same shade of pink as her hair. She did not even notice the room's door open.

"And you," she reached out and gently pinched Sasuke's cheeks, "are the sweetest little kitty I've ever met."

The cheeks turned tomato red between her fingers. Sakura laughed and, despite the bandages, wiggled her fingers menacingly.

Sasuke saw it coming and tried to run, but got tangled in the white bedsheets. With a cartoonish roar, Sakura pounced.

This was the scene that stopped Naruto's approach, a raven and rosette tumbling around in a sea of white, squealing and laughing with abandon.

Sakura was so relieved. She had been so worried about so many things. Worried about Sasuke's amnesia, worried about how they could change Sasuke back. Wondering if it was _right_ to change him back, wondering if she could build a bond with him this time.

But now all those troubles dissolved.

Sasuke was _here_. Sasuke was _smiling_. Sasuke was _laughing_.

When had he ever done those things beyond a forced chunk of sound, a piece of a grunt if so much?

Hatred and the cruel duty of revenge had weighed down everything – had crushed Sasuke's smile. His laugh.

But now he was _free_.

Sakura threw back her head and laughed.

Naruto left the room with a smile, letting them play a little while longer.

* * *

"By the way, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura after a nurse passed by and gave a warning that all visitors were to leave.

Her fifth warning. By the nurse's twitching and razor thin smile, the next time she came around and saw Naruto in the room, she was calling the Anbu.

Sakura tightened her fists. She _wanted_ her to try something. Her body already ached from playing with Sasuke, and she was not in the mood for that woman's power trip.

Naruto saw this, and to him, it only made her honey-sweet smile and warm eyes that much more frightening.

"I've been wondering for a while. How old are you?"

Naruto was holding Sasuke, so he could not gesticulate with his arms. Instead he opened his eyes wide, so wide that Sakura could see the complete circle of his sky-blue irises. The view did not last long, as in the next moment he was shaking his head wildly from side to side.

Sakura worried that his neck would snap, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Her curiosity was a bit more important right now.

Sasuke, who had started yawning at five minute intervals, sat up a little.

"How old?"

"Yeah. Do you remember? Are you like three? Four? You speak very well, and you have an impressive vocabulary. Five perhaps?"

Sasuke blinked bemusedly. "Five what?"

Sakura blinked in perfect imitation. "Five years, of course."

Sasuke frowned. "I'm a kitten." Sakura blinked again. Naruto rolled his eyes to the ceiling. There was no helping her now.

"Yes, I know. But how _old_ are you?"

"Kitten."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. Naruto's eyes found a fly staring right at them as it hung upside down from a fluorescent bulb.

"Wait… 'Kitten' is how old you are?"

"Yes."

"Your age is 'kitten'?"

"Yes."

Sakura was struck dumb. The fly moved to another bulb.

"But, that doesn't make any sense Sasuke-kun."

"What do you mean?"

"If you use 'kitten' as your age, how can you tell when you're getting older?"

Naruto made a sound as if he was subtly trying to hack up a chicken bone. Such a sound could never be subtle. Sasuke glared at him for his obvious failure before turning to Sakura and holding up three fingers.

"Right now, I'm a Kitten. When I'm older like Nii-chan, I'll be a Cat. And when I'm all grown up," Sasuke's eyes sparkled in aspiration, "I'll be a Lion!"

Sakura stared. The fly's buddy landed on the same bulb. Naruto's eyes started watering, but that was of minimal concern.

"Lion?" Sasuke nodded with a huge grin. "Naruto?"

Naruto was partly grateful for a reason to look away: the two flies had started mating. He looked at Sakura, or more accurately at the multi-coloured spots making stuttered movements across her face.

Rare for the boisterous blond, he only spoke three words. "I warned you."

"But surely you told Sasuke-kun that he's wrong."

"Didn't work."

"But surely you taught him the proper way of using years to –"

"Didn't work."

"But surely you explained that –"

"Didn't work."

"But surely you –"

"He said he already compromised on the bird-eating. He's not giving up on being a Lion," said Naruto in an impressive monotone.

Sakura closed her mouth. There was nothing left for her to say.

Knuckles knocked raptly on the door. The voice behind it sounded like its owner had eaten nails. "Excuse me. Visiting hours are –"

"He'll be gone in the next five minutes!" Sakura snapped.

"Ma'am I must insist –"

"Gah, you're annoying! He won't burn down the building by staying a little longer!"

Naruto could not help but appreciate the irony. Was it only a few years ago when _he_ was the one who would be yelled at and told he was annoying?

He smiled. "It's okay. Sasuke's half-asleep already. We should go."

"O-oh." She glanced at the clock. It was late for a baby to be up. "Okay. You two head on home."

Sakura's poker face was almost as bad as Tsunade's. Even Naruto could tell her smile was sad.

A somewhat devious plan formed in his mind. He glanced at the envelope of unfinished forms.

"Sakura-chan, you mind helping me out a bit?"

* * *

Half an hour later, Sakura filled in the last empty space in the last Academy Application form.

_Idiot_.

Even if it did not matter who filled in the form as long as the guardian's signature was on it, that did not mean that over three quarters of it should be filled by proxy just because a certain dimwit could not remember Sasuke's blood type.

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but they were on a team together once. Blood type was elementary information about his teammates that the idiot should have burned into his memory.

No telling what could happen on a mission.

She sighed. It was only because he promised to bring the kitten first thing in the morning when he came to collect the forms that she was going through this.

The envelope still had a sheet of paper inside. Rolling her eyes, she turned the envelope upside down and watched it slip out and fall on her matching white bedding.

She blinked. That was unexpected.

It was a list of Shinobi Day Cares. Unlike normal day cares, these were large houses equipped to care for children whose parents were away on missions. Any child could easily stay a month in one of them.

Naruto had ticked off two – probably looked at pricing and location.

She would have done the same, if she did not personally know the matrons for these houses. The hospital was usually on close terms with them, seeing as they cared for a large percentage of Konoha's children.

She immediately scratched off one of Naruto's choices. Matron or not, that woman was a troll.

* * *

"Did you have fun today, Sasuke?"

"Yeah. It was real fun. Are we gonna walk around tomorrow too?"

"Yup. We've still got a lot of Konoha to see."

"Oh. Okay."

Sasuke, warm and sleepy after their bath, slowly ate his cream. Naruto ate his (burned) hamburger steak and a few vegetables. It was a huge break from the usual cup ramen, but after talking with Iruka, Naruto figured he needed to set a good example.

Though the vegetables weren't going down as easily as he'd hoped. He knew he messed up that recipe somewhere – or everywhere – but he was sure that carrots were not supposed to be black. Or crumble like ash at the slightest touch.

Well, no worries. With that recipe book Ero-sennin bought him, which also doubled as a primer for beginners, he should be able to perfect his technique. After all, the note that Jiraiya had written on the book's first page openly challenged him:

'_If you can master the Rasengan in a week, you can master half this book just the same. Cook me up something good when I come around next time.'_

Naruto stabbed his leather-tough steak. He _never_ backed down from a challenge.

Sasuke yawned loudly, his head drooping. Okay, time for bed.

After they cleaned up and brushed their teeth, Naruto bundled the kitten in his arms and went to put him down to sleep in his new bed.

Sasuke's claws dug into his pyjama top. "Sasuke." Sasuke pressed closer to him, a rumbling purr escaping him.

Naruto sighed and went to his own bed, which he had pushed up against the wall, right under the window. He sat there, looking up at Konoha's starry sky.

For the first time, it struck him just how special the village was. Its peace was unique. He had travelled more places than he could remember with Ero-sennin, and never came across another place like it.

No. He would go so far as to say that gentle, easy days like this were near impossible anywhere else. Despite all it had done to him in the past, Konoha was the only place he felt at ease.

The only place he wanted to see Sasuke grow.

"Naruto?" Sasuke had released his shirt, and was looking at the stars too. "Today was a good day."

"Yeah. It was."

"I had days like this with Nii-chan sometimes. When I found out my clan was dead, and Nii-chan… … … I thought I wouldn't have good days anymore."

The wind blew, cool and scented with the changing leaves.

"You're my Nii-chan, Naruto."

"Yeah. I am."

"So we'll have more days like this?"

"Yeah. As many as you want, Sasuke."

Sasuke's ears suddenly drooped. "Am I a burden to you, Naruto?"

A little startled, Naruto asked, "Where'd that come from?"

"Iruka-sensei said that you used to live alone. I bet you did anything you wanted to. But, now that I'm here… you can't do as you like anymore. Am I a weight to you, Naruto? Like Iruka-sensei said?"

"Ba-aka. That's not what he meant. Besides –" Naruto easily tossed Sasuke into the air and caught him. Surprised, Sasuke could only stare at the lightly smiling blond.

"You're so light. You barely weigh a thing, Sasuke."

Sasuke was confused. Even he understood that Iruka was not talking about physical weight. What was Naruto…?

"Yup, you weigh nothing at all," Naruto chuckled, tossing him up again. "You're so light you make me feel light. You're the best and lightest weight I've ever had to carry, Sasuke."

"That's – that's so cheesy Nawuto."

"Why're you crying then? And talking like a baby?"

"Shut up," Sasuke wiped at his eyes as he was tossed up again.

Naruto smiled and hugged him close, pretending to ignore it as Sasuke dried his tears in his shirt.

"Naruto? We're family, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, we'll stay together like this?"

"Yeah."

"For as long as I want?"

"Until you can't stand it."

When Sasuke yowled unhappily at that, Naruto could only laugh.

And when the kitten whispered 'thank you' as he tumbled over the edge into sleep, Naruto could only smile.

He tucked Sasuke into his new bed and climbed into his own. As he followed his little family into the land of dreams, he had a whispered thought.

'_If everyday could be like this, that wouldn't be bad at all.'_ A small smile. _'Too bad we never opened that ice cream…'_

* * *

When the clock struck midnight, Sakura was long asleep. Naruto's application forms and a checklist of all the day-cares she approved of were stacked neatly atop the finger-wide, inch deep hole poked into the table's surface.

The dent in the wall had its outline strategically flattened to hide its conspicuous shape. When this obviously failed, the room's desk was pushed in front of it and decorated with the vases of flowers Ino and her parents had brought for her.

Sakura then went to sleep with the furtive hope that her camouflage would be enough. Destroying the walls of two hospital rooms would be too trying on her Shishou's patience.

As tendrils of guilt reached her even in her dreams – "no Shishou, it's Naruto's fault" – an especially strong wind blew through Konoha. Sakura's hair moved. The two events should have been simple cause and effect, but could not have been.

The nights had gotten too chilly, so Sakura had closed her window.

Her hair moved again. A piece of her scalp, previously no different from any other piece, suddenly stretched up and away from her skull like autonomous taffy.

Sakura only moaned. Her dream was especially captivating, no doubt influenced by the rebellious piece of scalp that was rapidly asserting that it was not a scalp at all.

The 'scalp' groaned as the last of it detached from Sakura's head and dropped dully to the ground.

A line suddenly grooved itself along the side of its body; the 'mouth' opened, filled with block-like and unevenly spaced teeth. "That was rough."

It had every right to complain. The last few days had been awful. It had to endure two days of non-stop travel attached to someone it was now convinced was half insane.

No. Anyone who would _punch through_ a tree rather than move just an inch or two around it _was_ insane.

But, just its luck, this insane girl was important to the Hokage, which meant that she was monitored non-stop, giving it no chance to even move a centimetre let alone stretch its mockery of muscles.

By the time the security and medical examinations calmed down, the girl was healthy enough to stay awake for considerably long periods of time.

But now, finally, she was asleep, and no one was watching her.

It quickly took its chance. After all, for all its unpleasantness, being attached to this girl had yielded some valuable information.

Its flesh rippled and bulged, becoming soft and malleable so that it could be sculpted into form by an invisible will. Soft pale skin flowed over newly formed limbs and digits, and disappeared under the sleeves and hem of a newly moulded kimono. Grain by grain, black shoots of hair emerged from innumerable pores in its scalp, growing rapidly till they fell to shoulder length and settled around a distinctly shaped face. New eyes blinked, a small bump of a nose rose, and a small mouth (wholly unlike its gross predecessor) drew itself above the chin in a serious line.

The metamorphosis ended, and the creature-turned-human looked at its hands in mild wonder.

Sakura moaned again. And opened her eyes.

"Shizune-san?" she asked.

It smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

The girl shook her head with a small smile. "What are you doing?"

"Just an errand. I thought I'd check up on you."

"Geez, you and Shishou worry too much. I'm fine." She was fixed with a severe look. "I'm… better?"

Shizune smiled. "Indeed. Goodnight Sakura."

"Goodnight…" the girl drifted off to sleep.

Shizune smiled and closed the door softly behind her.


	17. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

On the second morning after Team Kakashi left for Sora-ku, Naruto opened his eyes. His back to the window, he faced Sasuke's bed.

_Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat_. The rustling of clothes. A pause of silence. _Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat_. The door creaking as someone brushed by it.

The corners of Naruto's mouth tugged upwards. Sasuke was not in his bed.

_Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat_. The door creaked again. More rustling. A pause of silence. _Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat_.

When the door creaked, Naruto slowly moved so his bed would not do the same; flat on his stomach, he positioned himself so he could have a good view.

He stilled only seconds before Sasuke came in, carrying the box of remaining takoyaki. The box itself was almost as big as him; he held it to his chest, his little fingers straining to hold the sides. He carried it longways so it blocked his vision, and only the tips of his black ears poked out at the sides. Even in the weak sunlight, Naruto could see how the soft fur moved differently from his hair; bouncing with every step Sasuke pushed off the ground, lilting with every landing.

_Pat pat pat pat_. The footsteps made by his bare feet were so small, their force barely equalled fingers drumming on a table. Though unable to see, Sasuke ran a perfect path to Naruto's open closet. A pile of clothes lay crumpled in the corner facing Naruto's view. Sasuke kicked aside the clothes he had recently moved back into place, shuffling the more stubborn articles with his tail.

A small, dark space was revealed, the piece of closet wood that usually covered it put up against the wall. Sasuke knelt and carefully put the takoyaki box inside.

Naruto blinked. He had forgotten about that space: as a kid he had stashed one or two things in there before realising that there was no one in his apartment to hide things from.

Sasuke straightened, put the clothes back in a heap, and swiftly glanced at Naruto's bed. He headed off two steps, already rooted in his routine, when he froze. He slowly turned back and found the blond watching him, chin resting in his hand, head tilted and a small smile on his face.

A full half-minute passed before one of them moved, swinging his legs off the bed. Another ten seconds before he spoke. "I like the takoyaki. We're sharing."

Sasuke's ears twitched. Naruto raised an eyebrow and glanced at the heap of clothes. Sasuke ran in front of it and glared at him, his stance sinking a little as he growled warningly in his throat.

"Fine, I won't look," Naruto shrugged. He made to stand, but flinched. The floor was cold. "But I want the takoyaki. You'll take that back out, alright?" Sasuke glanced back at his treasure hole, uncertain. "Or I could come get it."

Sasuke flinched, knowing very well there was nothing he could do to stop him. He reluctantly nodded and retrieved the box, forlorn purrs echoing in his throat. Naruto blinked. When had he been able to recognise the emotion behind those sounds?

Sasuke walked out with the box, his previously confident steps now wavering as he slowly approached the bed and set the box down at Naruto's feet. His eyes remained to the floor, his ears drooped as he rocked back and forth on the soles of his feet: a full blown sulking session.

"Sasuke. Come here." Naruto patted his lap. Sasuke turned away, all red cheeks and a determined pout. Naruto glanced at the ceiling with a slight shake of the head, then swept Sasuke off the floor and high into the air.

The disgruntled half-screech was lost as the kitten was hugged to a chuckling chest. His claws snapped out, ready to bury themselves into Naruto's face or arm –

And was smothered to the blonde's chest while a warm face buried itself between his ears. It lingered there for only a moment, and when it was gone Naruto was smiling a bit. Sasuke's arm fell limp, his claws receding. Never his father, his brother only when he was too young to remember, but at his current age only his mother had ever cuddled him.

"Quit staring already," Naruto complained, still smiling. "I just felt like it. Don't get used to it."

Sasuke blinked, purred and fell against Naruto's chest in quiet defeat. "Naruto?"

"Yeah?" the blond was still looking elsewhere.

Sasuke smiled. "Today's going to be a good day."

A short pause. The kitten knew without looking that Naruto was smiling.

"Yeah, today's gonna be –"

The sky roared. Naruto froze. Sasuke's ears pointed to the ceiling.

One drop. Then two more. Ten, twenty, a hundred… Before either of them could blink, thousands upon thousands of raindrops hit the roof, swelling into one continuous drone.

The sky flashed. And roared again seconds later.

The two stared at each other. Then, as one, they slowly turned their heads to the window and the sudden storm grumbling beyond it.

* * *

_Damn rain._

"You shouldn't curse the rain."

At the swift reprimand, a pink and recently plucked eyebrow twitched. The owner turned to glare at the one who scolded her, who simply returned to rotating her ankle.

"You walked a little yesterday."

"Yeah." Green eyes nervously averted from the reason for the walking.

"How did you feel?"

"It was a little painful, but there were no physical inhibitions in my arthrodials or condyloidals."

Shizune laughed. "Sakura, you're already Tsunade-sama's top student and inheritor of all her medical knowledge. It's perfectly okay if you call a hinge joint a hinge joint."

Sakura blushed. "Sorry, force of habit. You've been with Shishou for so long Shizune-san, I always felt like I had to prove that I was up to your level."

Shizune gently lowered Sakura's left leg and moved on to her right, slowly bending the knee and pushing her leg back to stretch her hamstrings.

"Those days are long over Sakura. You've long surpassed me."

"Oh no, Shizune-san, there are things you can do that I can't even –"

"You inherited Tsunade-sama's ultimate technique. The Genesis Rebirth. She tried to pass it on to me, but it was beyond my ability. But you, you're so close. Just a few more months and…" Sakura looked up into a dimpled smile. "I'm proud of you."

Embarrassed, Sakura turned to face the window, while Shizune chuckled and moved on to her elbow. "Your body's pretty much back to normal. A few more days and you'll be out of here."

Her eyes suddenly glinted with the same stern glare that usually fell upon Tsunade. "You haven't been healing yourself, have you?"

"Of course not," Sakura sighed. "But I don't see why you can't use chakra for this."

"You know better than that, Sakura."

"Except when on the field, in battle or facing critical conditions, muscle and joint injury should always be allowed to heal as naturally as possible with minimal chakra usage and maximum rest," the textbook response was provided in monotone.

"Because too much forced healing will injure instead of heal. Therefore, when given the opportunity, traditional physical therapy methods combined with bed rest are the best medicines," Shizune finished academically, sounding no better than the textbook.

"Yeah, yeah," the grumpy response irked Shizune to the verge of another scolding, when she noticed the green glare reflected in the darkened windows.

"Why are you so impatient?" The green reflection blinked, its owner a bit thrown. "I meant it when I said you surpassed me. You know better." Sakura's forehead prickled under her nurse's dark gaze. "There's only one thing that makes you forget that."

Her intentions deduced, Sakura sighed, having nothing left to hide. "Naruto promised that he would bring Sasuke-kun first thing when he came to get those." She pointed to the forms strategically stacked on the bedside table.

"Oh, Naruto. I was wondering at the hole in the table those forms are hiding, and that dent in the wall behind the flowers."

The arm she was bending suddenly stiffened. "Relax, Sakura. I won't rat you out to Tsunade-sama."

"Thanks Shizune-san." The arm loosened. "I filled those forms out for him as part of the agreement," Shizune's eyebrow twitched, but she kept her comments to herself. "But even that idiot's not stupid enough to bring Sasuke-kun out in this weather." She sighed heavily. "It's not letting up either. I probably won't see Sasuke-kun all day today."

Shizune hmm'ed thoughtfully. "Sounds like you're attached." Sakura did not miss the accusation beneath Shizune's words, nor did Shizune miss the sparkle in Sakura's eyes.

"He smiles. He laughs. He's happy this way. I've," Sakura's eyes widened, never realizing the truth of these words until they were on her tongue, "I've never seen Sasuke-kun happy before." Shizune said nothing. "Is it really so bad if he stays like this a while?"

"Yes. It is." Sakura almost sat up at the cold response, when a hand somehow stronger than hers pushed her back down. Shizune stood over her, her eyes unmoving, the severity of her gaze trapping Sakura.

"You are not a child, Sakura. It is not beyond you to separate right from sentiment."

"But I just want Sasuke-kun to be –"

"You cannot accept a fake just because he's everything you wished he was."

"I'm not _accepting_ –"

"If the means to change him back were right here in front of you, would you do what is right?" Sakura closed her mouth, whatever protests she had dying in her throat.

"Tsunade-sama is the Hokage as well as the world's greatest Iryō-nin. She cannot bow to sentimentality. By the laws of Konoha, and her own code as a medical nin, she cannot stop until a child of Konoha, until Sasuke is healed. If not of his physical mutation, then his mental aberration. You as Tsunade-sama's student and inheritor cannot bring shame to her by letting your emotions take over."

Sakura flinched, her face pale as though the last few days of rehabilitation were worthless. Shizune did not soften. "Sasuke-kun needs to smile and laugh as his true self. Amnesia's bliss is no substitute for overcoming true hardship."

Thunder cracked. In the bright room indifferent to the dark sky outside, pale lips drew into a firm line. Shizune saw this, and finally smiled. She clapped her hands together in front of her, squeezed her eyes shut and, "Sorry for that, Sakura," apologized weakly. The patient blinked. "I had to be firm just now. Tsunade-sama might need your help soon."

"My help?" Sakura finally regained her voice.

"We talked last night," Shizune frowned. "Jiraiya-sama told her some worrying things about Naruto. If Kakashi's team comes back with information, we can't predict how Naruto will react."

"You think he'll try to stop you?"

"Like I said, we can't be sure. Jiraiya-sama said it's nothing to worry about, but he has a bit of a soft spot for Naruto. If it comes to it, you might be a stronger voice of reason than any of us."

"That's why you had to convince me." Sakura fell back on her pillows. "I know we have to change him back. I'm sure Naruto knows it too. If he tries anything stupid, I'll beat some sense into him."

Shizune smiled, though she felt a bit sorry for the blond. "Good to hear."

She pulled back and, out of curiosity, picked up a few of the application forms. "Naruto couldn't fill these out?"

"Most of them. Look what he put for Sasuke-kun's date of birth."

"July 23rd… sixteen years ago." One second… two… three… "Idiot."

* * *

"Okay, so that's onions, garlic and…"

"Tomatoes."

"Oh yeah. Forgot. …Dried ginger – thanks… pepper – thanks… soy – thanks…" Naruto glanced at Sasuke as he took the soy. The kitten was sitting in front of the open recipe book, and had not moved from his spot or looked away from the book since taking his post.

He simply handed Naruto the ingredients using his tail. Naruto glanced at the absently swaying appendage. That thing was really versatile. And did it look a bit longer than usual?

Was that normal?

Naruto wondered this while staring at his best-friend-turned-kitten. It took ten seconds for the irony to slap him upside the head.

"…Okay, everything's good, so now the chicken…" the pan hissed loudly; volumes of white steam billowed towards the ceiling. "Okay… fire's good. So we leave the chicken in for… two minutes?! What kinda food poisoning –?"

"Naruto, we already boiled it. This is just so it'll get crispy on the outside."

"Ooh… you're right. Okay… and then next pour in some orange juice…"

"Lemon juice Naruto!"

It was too late. Naruto had upended the bottle over the frying pan, filling it up to the brim. The two watched as the chicken breasts and all other ingredients floated slightly in the bubbling orange pool.

Sasuke purred in his throat. It was not the good kind.

Naruto laughed nervously. "Orange juice, lemon juice, they're both fruits. It can't be that different."

"Mmrrrggg." Sasuke's throat noises brought no good expectations that day. "You put too much, Naruto."

"I'm telling you it'll be fine!" Naruto slammed down the cover on the pan, hiding the swimming ingredients from view.

Some juice splashed out at the impact, hissing as it hit the fire below. The burner sputtered as the doused flames petered out.

Sasuke's brow grew flat, his eyes half-lidded. He turned to Naruto with a distinct frown. The blond, whose ears were the perfect shade of embarrassment, silently reached for the lighter to ignite another burner.

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed.

* * *

"That's probably what they're doing right now."

Tsunade stared. Jiraiya smirked. Tsunade scoffed and took out the wallet she kept in her bosom, pulling out a thick wad of notes. "All right, you're on." She slapped the notes on the table.

"You're sure you want to make that bet?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes on the wallet's bountiful home rather than the money itself.

"Positive," Tsunade sniffed. "There's no way that, in this weather, the thing on Naruto's mind will be cooking. The most he'll do is boil water for one of those ramen cups of his."

"I never said he wouldn't resort to ramen. But only after his attempt to make a real meal from scratch failed."

"No way," she dissented with a flippant wave of her hand.

"All right," Jiraiya shrugged and tossed an equal wad of money on top of Tsunade's. "We'll ask Naruto about it when he comes to report about the Know-Your-Village mission."

"Deal," she said, tying the wad of money together with a rubber band and putting it in the drawer. "But if he's really cooking like you said and it ends up a disaster, won't you be at a disadvantage if he decides to lie about it?"

"No need to worry about that. Whatever Naruto won't say, Sasuke will."

"Ah, that's true." Invigorated by the rush of placing a new bet, Tsunade turned around to tackle a new stack of paperwork. Half an hour passed in this manner.

When she finished the last of the stack and looked back, Jiraiya was staring out at the rain with the same irritating lost-in-forlorn-thought look on his face that made her resort to gambling in the first place.

"What's wrong." It was not a question.

Jiraiya jumped a little at the stern tone and turned to her, blinking guilelessly. "Huh?"

"Why're you staring out at the rain like one of the characters in your novels?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You read them?"

Tsunade flinched, pink dusting her cheeks. "That's not the point. Answer my question."

The Sage glanced at the floor and back to her like a clueless child. "Nothing."

Tsunade glared. Jiraiya reared back a little. "Is it what Tori said to you yesterday?" He glanced to the floor again. "You know she doesn't know any better Jiraiya. You can't be so –"

"That's the point. You told me about Root. Naruto complained non-stop about Sai. I know about that _awful_ training they did to erase their emotions. But even then, I didn't think they were so _lost_. Who would think that I would really call Naruto an idiot? No one thinks higher of him than I do!"

"That's the way Danzō raised her," dull anger throbbed in Tsunade's voice, "No emotions. No friends. No bonds. Someone like her asks no questions and leaks no information. Just what Danzō needed." She sighed. "They're all like that. Sai is trying very hard with Tori, with all of them, but I suspect only Tori's had her heart revived."

"You call that progress?!" Jiraiya burst.

"Yes, I do," Tsunade's tone was even, "It's slow. Painfully slow. But it's there. Tori managed to bond with Sai and like Naruto enough to defend him. For what Danzō has put her through, that's almost miraculous." Tsunade frowned. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. Sai keeps her close, so she's gotten this far. But it's impossible for him to do so with all the others. And even Sai's not – all _there_ himself. He only came out from under Danzō's control a few short months ago."

She glanced at Jiraiya. And smiled. She knew that look, that set of the jaw.

"You want to do something. That's why it's bothering you so much." Jiraiya said nothing, but his lips pressed together, becoming an even thinner line. "You can't help yourself. This is the Ame brats all over again."

The painful glance in her direction quickly made her correct her statement. "Naruto's almost grown now. He'll still need you around, but perhaps there's a whole new group of lost children right here in Konoha who need you more than he does."

Jiraiya sank into thoughtful silence. "You realise I'm not the best person for counselling people on how to _be_."

"Who is?" said Tsunade with a shrug. "But they need someone to guide them. They already fell through the cracks once. I can't let that happen again."

"You had this planned from the start." At the shrewd accusation, Tsunade cleared her throat, her nose slightly elevated in defiance.

"You're the only one with the charisma and free time to handle it. It'll be something for you to do rather than lie around here all day." She smiled sweetly and raised her fist, a vein throbbing between her knuckles. "But if this turns into another Root, I really will kill you."

Jiraiya swallowed, but he could not call himself a Sannin if he worried about death threats. With a sly grin, he leaned closer to Tsunade. "So you think I've got charisma…"

The door burst open and Shizune rushed in, interrupting Tsunade's near-stutter, cradling an old and dusty journal to her bosom like it was the world's last piece of food.

"Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, I found it! I really found it!" Shizune beamed, showing a full row of teeth. "I found a clue on what happened to Sasuke-chan!"

* * *

It was sweet. Candy sweet. And fruity, with the slight aftertaste of chicken. Meat made of oranges. Or oranges made of meat. There was a reason why such abominations did not exist in the natural world.

"Naru – Naruto," Sasuke tried very hard not to retch. "This is…"

Naruto shook his head, yellow locks swaying. "It's okay, Sasuke. Throw it away."

"N-no. You tried really hard to make it, and you can't throw away good food…"

"_Good_ food, Sasuke. This stuff is toxic." Naruto took up the kitten's plate and his own, and dumped the chicken-flavoured confections into the garbage. Then he tied the bag with a double knot.

"Welp, let's try again." Sasuke blinked at his cheerfulness.

"Naruto?"

He stared at Naruto's grin, as the ninja picked him up and plopped him on the counter. "We've got all day to do this, right? And Ero-sennin bought plenty of meat. We'll get it right."

Sasuke purred softly. "Maybe we should make something else."

"Nope. We're making the chicken again." Naruto's eyes were solid in their determination. He flipped to the front of the recipe book and jabbed his finger at Jiraiya's message. "Mastering the Rasengan was one of the hardest things I ever did in my life. The only way I got it was by doing it over and over and over again until I almost went crazy. That's the only way I get things. So I'm gonna make this thing over and over and over again until it works."

"Okay," Sasuke acquiesced. "I hope it doesn't take a whole week though."

"It won't," Naruto grinned, tapping the kitten on the nose, "With my little helper by my side I'll get it in no time."

That made Sasuke smile, and he quickly handed Naruto a tomato so the blond would not notice.

* * *

"It belonged to the Third," Shizune smiled, opening the journal to the page she had marked. "I was going through his archives when I came upon it. It looks to be very old; from the dates it was probably written during his second to third decade as Hokage."

'_March 3__rd__. It has been a long day. The last day of winter was only a week or two ago. With spring only in its infancy, the days are still cold. Thus I still find a hot cup of tea my closest companion. And for me, tea is usually accompanied with the Summoning of Enma, the Monkey King.'_

"That grumpy old brute?" Jiraiya grumbled, only to be glared to silence by the Hokage.

'_It's a quirk of mine, or perhaps an abnormality, but I never saw the reason to restrict Summonings to battles alone. Summons usually make good and fascinating companions. Today was no exception. The Monkey King and I sat on Mount Hokage, sipping tea in the cold and looking over Konoha while enjoying simple conversation._

'_At least, that's what I thought. But then our discussion took an interesting turn._

"Sarutobi," _he said to me. The Monkey King was always stern; I was surprised then to see him looking so wistful._ "What do you think of me? Of Summons in general?"

'_I had to think about that. To me, Summons were always there, a constant in the ever-changing world of shinobi. They were officially categorized as ninja tools, but both of us hated that label. It was wrong anyway. Enma was an invaluable comrade and close friend, both in battle and out. He always had been._

'_I answered to that effect, and was gifted with another surprise from the stoic king. He laughed._ "Straightforward as ever. That's just the answer I'd expect from you. But tell me, Sarutobi, have you ever thought about where we come from?"

'_I had always imagined what the King's kingdom was like. Since the sternness returned to his eye, I knew I was off track. So I thought for a while and one and a half cups of tea later I felt I was ready to talk._

''_Chakra' was the first word out of my mouth. Summons, unlike other animals, were gifted with strong and complex chakra systems, much like our own. It had always been assumed that this was the reason for their elevated intelligence, as well as their ability to form blood contracts with humans._

'_By the Monkey King's expression, my answer was lacking._ "It's not just chakra, Sarutobi. Geniuses can have less chakra than a babe from my kingdom, while idiots can have exorbitant amounts several times my own. Chakra can only give supernatural power, it cannot bestow mind or soul.

"When I look out over my kingdom, I see a vast schism between sentient and primitive that cannot be crossed by mere chakra alone. There is something, a piece of the puzzle that is made to fit inside that schism, but I cannot find it, nor can I imagine its shape. It is beyond me."

'_Enma was a King from a great succession of kings. When I reminded him of this, he only shook his head._

"You mean to tell me that the answer lies at the origins of my lineage? Those are answers long lost in time and warped into fanciful legend, Sarutobi. Is the same not true of the heritage of shinobi?"

'_I could not deny it._

"Perhaps that is why Summons like myself, the Toads, the Snakes and the Slugs create contracts with shinobi. There is no such ritual between us and our feral counterparts. It is not particularly our will or desire to fight enemies that have nothing to do with us. And being on-call like that is most inconvenient. Really, there were times when you summoned me that were just…"

'_The King's ears turned red then, and he coughed nervously. Out of respect for him, I did not push the subject nor imagine the completion to his sentence._

"W-well, ahem, perhaps at the end of it all, we are naturally seeking out companions. Equals. We are animals, undoubtedly, but there is a side of us that is rather close to you humans and this thing called humanity. Perhaps the puzzle piece to the schism is shaped by the bonds we form with you."

'_I remained silent, but not for long. The teapot had long run dry, and the King's visit was about to do the same._

'_So I spoke._ "Animals with humanity. If what you theorize is true, then I wonder if the reverse is possible."

"Humans with animality?"

'_I had never heard the word 'animality' before. I was not sure if I would ever hear it again. _

"Yes. Such things are popular in fiction and manga."

"Manga?"

'_Perhaps I had revealed too much of my personal interests. But the reward was the King's laugh, so I did not regret my slip of the tongue._

"You truly are an odd one, Sarutobi. My partnership with you is one I have truly enjoyed."

'_I could feel the tug in my chakra. It was time for him to go. _

'_Before he left, he told me one last thing._

"In acknowledgement of our friendship Sarutobi, I will tell you a secret. We can only be Summoned by humans. But it is not purely humans who summon us."

'_I did not understand what he meant. But the chills up my spine spoke to the validity of his claim._

"Some who summon us are not all human. On the oath of our contracts, I cannot tell you who they are. But humans with animality, perhaps they are also seeking to fill the schism with bonds of their own. If that is the case," _he smiled at me,_ "perhaps you will meet one someday."

* * *

The storm had slowly died to a trickle before starting up again, but that went largely unnoticed.

Between the two occupants of Naruto's apartment sat a lone breast of chicken, the last one they had. It was too brown. The vegetables wreathing it were unevenly chopped and glistened with excess oil. The lemon sauce was too runny.

But the aroma within the steam rising off the meal was not too bad.

Their empty stomachs, dissatisfied with the constant supply of slightly stale takoyaki, demanded that it be eaten immediately, but two things made them hesitate.

Unhidden dread. And a knock on the door that, for its softness, somehow rose above the drizzling din outside. Sasuke immediately purred and went for the door, his nose sniffing eagerly. Though Naruto did not recognise the knock, he trusted the kitten's reaction and opened the door.

For a moment, his brain froze.

Then Sasuke mewed happily and leaped into the arms of the blushing girl on his doorstep.

"Hinata." Naruto said her name in a daze, made worse by the nervous smile he received.

"H-hello, Naruto-kun." Sasuke purred loudly, nuzzling her face. "Hello to you too, Sasuke-chan," she said warmly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I…" she could not seem to look at him. All the courage Kurenai had given her when she went to visit had already dripped out into the large puddle of rainwater at her feet.

Naruto noticed the pool she was standing in and how her raincoat was almost dry. How long had she stood there before knocking?

"I – I…"

'_N-no – sensei – I couldn't…'_

'_Weren't you able to speak to him normally?'_

'_N-no, I only told him that he was wrong in the way he was treating Sasuke-chan.'_

'_Telling him he was wrong takes much more courage than being nice, Hinata. Go see him. Give him the present you made for him. I'm sure it will make him happy.'_

'_Happy?'_

'_Yes. You're beautiful, Hinata. Having a beautiful girl give them a gift would make any man smile.'_

_When she said that, as she rubbed her rounded stomach, her eyes only reflected truth. _

"I came out to do some errands and…"

"In the rain?"

"Uh, yes. I mean no – I – I waited until it eased up a bit. But, it started raining again and – I – your apartment was… um…"

She swallowed, unconsciously hugging Sasuke closer for support. Not that he seemed to mind.

"I brought these!" she finally decided on, shutting her eyes and blindly thrusting the large shopping bag into Naruto's gut. "I – Hanabi and I made them for you. Please accept them."

Her face fretfully scrunched up, her cheeks pink. Was it… weird that he thought she was kind of cute?

"Well, that's all, so I'll go and –" Thunder flashed, throwing warped shadows down the apartment's hallway of doors.

"Looks like it's getting bad again," Naruto gradually raised his voice as the shower swelled, pounding against the roof. "Come in."

"N-no – I've already taken up too much of your time and – uh – uh…" Sasuke had dug his claws into her raincoat. Even against the slick material, his grip was unshakeable.

"Uh, Sasuke-chan…"

"It's no use," Naruto shook his head with a slight smile. "When he gets like that, you can't get him off." He stepped aside, leaving the entryway clear. "Come in," he repeated his invitation, and this time Hinata took it.

Only after she had taken off her shoes, and Sasuke was assured that she was staying did the kitten release her coat; and clung to her normal clothes as soon as the coat was off.

Naruto walked ahead, still in a daze. It was obvious that this was the first time a girl was actually inside his apartment. He stepped into the kitchen, where it suddenly registered to him how filthy it was. Well, he had been cooking all day.

Hinata stared at the mess. Naruto, feeling ashamed, quickly got to work cleaning it up, but her gaze had already moved to the lone plate on the kitchen table. Finally, she eyed the full garbage bag tied and leaned up against the wall. Veins lightly rose around her eyes, and a tiny 'oh' escaped her.

When she looked up at Naruto, the boy looked a little stricken.

She balked. "N-no – I wasn't – I don't –!"

"Can you cook, Hinata?" the hopeless question made something in her chest ache. She nodded mutely.

But Naruto smiled from his heart, and made hers leap. "Got any tips?"

* * *

She was just smiling. Not a big grin like Naruto's or a not-quite-there smirk like Sasuke's. It was small and warm, full of simple content.

After cooking them a simple meal of beef and eggs, which was brain dead easy once Naruto saw someone else doing it, she took her place at the table for their late lunch. Her food sat untouched. After Naruto and Sasuke let out that first 'mmm!' she watched them enjoy their meal. She smiled, and she could not stop.

So when Naruto awkwardly asked his question, there was only one answer she could give.

"Cooking's tougher than it looks. But, I'm gonna be taking care of Sasuke now so… uh… I gotta learn right? So, if you're not busy or anything, maybe you could come over some time and give me some more tips."

"Yes."

"I mean – the last chicken turned out okay, even you said so. But I don't wanna use up all my stuff every time I try to..." Naruto blinked twice, squeezing his eyes shut the second time. He looked at Hinata, mouth open. "What?"

"I said yes, Naruto-kun. I'd love to come here and cook for you."

Naruto's ears burned. When she said it with that smile, he was a little overwhelmed.

So he mutely nodded and shyly asked for seconds. Wearing a definite grin, Hinata went to get them.

Lightning flashed outside. The air was chilly enough for the two to don the matching orange hats Hinata (Hanabi could do little more than watch) knit for them. It was another reason the Hyūga could not stop smiling. Sasuke's ears, poking through the custom-made holes in his hat, twitched. He glanced at the bedroom door and returned to his eggs.

The rain stopped again. Hinata returned with Naruto's seconds. Sasuke's ears slowly stood erect, quivering slightly. He stared at the bedroom door. Naruto, whose eyes were on his food (and a bit on the girl who prepared it) barely noticed when the kitten slipped away from the table and darted through the door that was left ajar.

Not a second later, a shrill scream pierced their hearts. And not another second later, Naruto and Hinata burst into the bedroom, chakra forming in their hands. Together they faced the grim, looming shadow with unnaturally large eyes glaring at them from outside the window.

They charged.

* * *

"So you lied to me," Jiraiya stated grimly. Oh how he missed the ability to fold his arms. Instead he could only glare at the toad Elders, who pursed their lips uncomfortably before him.

"You knew who did this to Sasuke. Who are they? Tell me."

"Listen, Jiraiya-chan," Fukasaku started, "If it was that easy we woulda told ya'a long time ago."

Jiraiya winced. He hated not knowing things that were important, and hated even more being treated like a child who should not know. Biting back the bitter irritation in his guts, Jiraiya searched for a better way to word his questions. "Is there anything at all you can tell me about them?"

"No. We're loyal to 'em. Just like we're loyal to ya. We don't go 'round tellin' 'em ya' business and it goes both ways." The toad settled there, his voice stern. Jiraiya would get nothing more from him. Nothing specific anyway.

"These humans with animality…" Fukasaku winced. Ah, that was something. The Sage was a long way from giving up – he knew how to succeed by squeezing even a drop of extra information from his victim.

"They're not called that?" The toad glanced away. "What are they called?"

But he was no match for centuries of wisdom. "Enough, Jiraiya-chan!" And Jiraiya froze, suddenly aware of how _young_ he was before this Sage. "Yer gettin' inta things that're too big for ya'. There's a system ta' this world, and what yer posin' to do is gonna shatter everything!"

The elder yelped, a cream-coloured heel stabbing into his foot. His wife shrunk him under a yellow glare, hissing 'idiot!' under her breath.

But it was too late. "Shatter everything?" Jiraiya's voice was the grating of stones, a shifting foundation. "What 'everything'? What system are you talking about? 'Humans with animality' are just some villains who transformed Sasuke, right? A secret clan, some undiscovered Kekkei Genkai." Green lips pressed together, refusing to surrender an answer. Jiraiya's eyes _opened_. "You're entrusted with their secret. All Summons are." Jiraiya shook his head, white mane flying. "That's fine. They want to keep hidden from the world, that's their choice. But they messed with Sasuke. Naruto by extension - my _godson_. And who knows how many others. They _asked_ to be exposed. You will tell me, jii-san, who. They. Are."

Two long suffering sighs filled the silent office. "Enough." The toads formed seals, the sound like soapy fingers clenching together.

Jiraiya's hair rustled, dormant spikes shifting. "Why? Your loyalties lie with me just as much as them."

"We can't help ya' with this, Jiraiya-chan."

"Do they at least have a motive?" He stepped towards the frozen toads. "Enma said they want to fill some kind of schism with bonds of their own. You can tell me what that means, can't you?"

The toads looked at each other, fingers still contorted into teleportation seals. They shared a slight nod. "There was one," Shima spoke shortly. "He wanted ta erase the schism."

"What happened to him?"

"Ridiculed. Ignored. Had a few followers but never got far." Fukasaku shook his head, his white Mohawk swaying. "We summons couldn't say anything because of our oaths to keep our partners' secrets. It's part of that contract that's signed by blood, we gotta adhere to it."

"So this guy is the one that did this to Sasuke?"

"Don't know," the toads' chakra spiked. Jiraiya put out his hand, trying to stop them. "We've told ya' more than enough, Jiraiya-chan. If ya' wanna be a Child of Prophecy and destroy tha' world by digging inta this, then do it." Even though he was resigned, Fukasaku meant his words. Jiraiya had the toads' support, whatever he decided to do.

"It's already fallin' apart," said Shima with a smile. "Started as soon as little Sasuke showed up. How is tha' darling by the way?"

Jiraiya blinked. Then surrendered with a smile. "As lively as ever."

Purple lips smiled and the two returned home in an understated puff of smoke.

"Well." Tsunade, who had silently entertained the toads in her office for the past several minutes, unlaced her fingers. Shizune watched her intently, still hugging the Third's journal to herself as she would Tonton.

Tsunade bit her thumb. "Katsuyu's next."

* * *

Naruto shuddered. He was glad, as he hunched over Sasuke, that the kitten's ears were so warm. They took some of the chills from his spine.

Sasuke stared at the storyteller with intensity only offset by his fear. He was glad Naruto's stomach was so warm, and the newly hatched butterflies fluttering around them were so beautiful: they made things a bit less scary.

Hinata sat on her knees. She was neither bored nor interested in a tale she had heard many times before. So she only half-listened while stealing free glances at a frightened (and rather cute) Naruto.

Shino had been the one standing outside Naruto's window. Backed by flashing lightning that gleamed off his glasses and made him look like a visiting extraterrestrial, he claimed he'd felt bad about scaring Sasuke with his insects the previous day so he wished to redeem himself.

The weather was perfect for a generation of cocoons to hatch, so after a good wor – a good several words put in by Hinata, Naruto carried Sasuke to see them emerge. The fascinating process amazed the kitten, and he immediately forgave the bug enthusiast. By the time they reconciled, it was pouring again. So, as the impromptu host, Shino kept his guests entertained with his only other talent besides insects.

Telling ghost stories.

"She opened the coffin."

"Idiot," Naruto whispered, hugging Sasuke closer. "Don't do it…!"

"And her daughter's corpse was inside." Sasuke squeaked. His claws extended and dug into Naruto's arms. The blond hardly felt it. "It was her daughter from seven years ago. Who was almost killed by an enemy shinobi's spear. The child she had been raising for the past seven years.

"She finally understood. The ghost-voices that haunted her were not her enemies, but her warnings. Warnings about the _thing_ she had lovingly cared for all this time. 'Mother?' A voice from behind her, beautiful and pure like a bell. A kunai slid into the demon's hand, and she smiled. 'I told you not to listen to those voices.'"

Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's hair, eyes shut so tight one would think the story's demon was right in front of him. Sasuke barely noticed, since he did the same, clinging to Naruto's chest.

The two waited, letting the silence stretch.

Finally, "W-what happened? Go on with it Shino. W-we can take it."

"That is the end."

"What?!" Naruto glared up at him, all fear erased in his indignation. "What do you mean that's it? That's not an ending! What happens next?"

"Nothing. Why? Because that is the end."

"That's a rip-off! You get us all excited to know what happens and end it like that?! Think about your audience Shino!"

A faint negativity rose off of Shino, making the insects within him hum a little louder.

"That's how it is."

And Naruto only confirmed that there would always be something he just did not like about Shino. Though that story was pretty scary, and way more interesting than Ero-sennin's stuff.

"You should write a book," Naruto told him guilelessly, standing. "It'll sell."

Did the butterflies suddenly get more energetic? Shino was standing still, wearing the same expression (from what he could tell), so why did the insects look like they were dancing?

Well, it was probably just another weird Shino thing. Or maybe the butterflies had weird mood swings like the weather, which could not seem to decide whether to storm or drizzle. After another hour, and more stories told by a much more lively Shino, the rain finally petered out.

"If you wish to visit again, I won't turn you away," was Shino's quiet goodbye as the three departed. When they were a good distance from the Aburame compound, Naruto sighed.

"Hinata. How d'you survive on a team with that guy?"

Hinata smiled sympathetically. It was nearing Konoha's dinnertime, and she could tell that Naruto's feet were already shuffling towards Ichiraku's. She was about to hand Sasuke over and take her leave when Naruto stopped. He fixed the nearby ramen stand with a detached gaze.

"Hey, Sasuke, we had ramen the day before yesterday, right?"

"Yeah."

"Hm. Let's eat somewhere else."

Lightning split the sky, followed by a roar of thunder that shook the buildings. Hinata, and a few other citizens swiftly walking the streets before the next shower hit, froze into place and slowly looked at the black clouds.

"U-um, Naruto-kun, why would you wish to do that? Do you not like ramen anymore?"

"No, I love it. It's just… well, Sasuke's a baby and he needs good stuff to grow, so… Once in a while is fine but eating ramen all the time isn't that good for you."

Before the last word left Naruto's mouth, a massive streak of lightning hit Konoha's power plant with the terrible noise of electrocution, plunging the village into darkness.

Everyone walking the streets jerked to a sudden halt, shocked into perfect silence.

Sasuke squirmed and clutched his nose as the stench of ozone and fried circuits burnt out his senses. He growled, sniffing furiously, but his nose would not stop buzzing.

"Poor Kiba-kun." Hinata whispered.

"Kiba-nii?" Hinata started a bit at the tiny voice below her chin. She smiled at Sasuke. "Lightning strikes like that are terrible for him. Especially since it hit so much electrical equipment. The stench will stay with him until morning." True. Even now Sasuke could barely catch another scent, a great rising of chakra from somewhere far away. He scowled at his failure and cuddled closer to Hinata, hating the lightning. His ears were gently stroked for his troubles.

"Hinata-neechan?"

"Yes?"

In the pitch blackness, no one moved beyond a quick grope in the dark for any others they were with and a swift huddle closer together. Beyond that, it was quiet. Konoha citizens knew when to run and when to wait for the problem to be fixed. No alarms went off, no explosions rang in the distance, no unidentified flying objects (or ninja) littered the skies, so they concluded it was a waiting time and waited in silence.

So Sasuke, speaking naturally without a care for the subtle tension in the air, was plainly heard.

"Is this Naruto's fault?"

Hinata, glad for the swallowing darkness, gave the only true answer. "Yes. It is."

"How come?" a nearby villager whispered.

"He denounced ramen."

And numerous glares were directed at the unanimously accepted cause for the lightning strike. Sasuke effortlessly ignored any waves of negative energy radiating from the blond. "So what do we do now?"

"Wait for the generators to kick in."

"Oh. How come the hospital's all lit up?" Still holding a bit of a grudge, Naruto and anyone nearby reflexively turned their eyes to the white lights streaming out of the building's windows.

In one of the boxes of light, Naruto saw a familiar slender figure withdraw from the curtains. A rush of empathy hit him: he could imagine what it was like to be alone in a hospital room, hoping that someone would come visit.

Empty hospital room, empty apartment, that hope was probably the same.

"The hospital has its own generators that power on immediately," Hinata explained. "The ones for the rest of Konoha have not been used for a long time, so they'll take a little longer."

As though to prove her true, Konoha's streetlights flickered to life. Those in the open streets breathed a sigh of relief and quickly continued on with their lives.

However, after hearing Sasuke's voice, a few latecomers to the kitten's appearance hung back to take a glimpse of him, and a picture or two. Only one amongst those actually acknowledged the presence of the other two, and greeted them with a friendly wave.

"Chōji!"

And just like that, it was decided what they would do for dinner.

* * *

"Really? You're giving me the last piece, Chōji?" Sasuke looked deeply moved by this unexpected act of kindness, yet to learn that the Akimichi was full of them.

"Yup. Go ahead."

Sasuke bowed slightly to the pleasingly plump shinobi and took the last bit of pork off the grill with reverence. He slowly ate the meat, openly savouring every bite in order to respect Chōji's sacrifice.

Naruto did not expect this to be the way the Uchiha and Akimichi bonded, but looking at it now, it did make sense. They both had the same voracious love of meat. Hinata quietly decided not to point out that barbecue was no healthier than ramen; for courtesy's sake, and certainly not because she was enjoying her third cut of pork belly.

It was too late to take Sasuke back to the Akimichi's compound – the kitten was already starting to look drowsy – but there was one last place they could visit before calling it a night. Despite the weather being a valid excuse, Naruto felt guilty about Sasuke only meeting one new clan for the day, especially when the previous day had been so productive. And Chōji had a promise to keep on threat of Ino.

So they found themselves at the Yamanaka's flower shop.

Inoichi, a rare sight, was standing behind the counter wearing a white apron. And beside him, looking subtly content was an elegant gentlewoman whom Naruto had never seen before. Hinata gently nudged him. He knew staring was rude but he only did so because her brown eyes, which inexplicably lacked pupils like Ino's, refused to look away.

But then, the woman smiled.

"So is that the kitten you've been making such a fuss about, dear?"

Sasuke, now in Naruto's arms which he preferred when he was sleepy, blinked at the woman's mention of him. His ears stood upright as he shamelessly took in the appearances of the two new adults.

"Oh, he's vigilant. Very good."

At the unexpected praise, Sasuke mewed in surprise and leaned back into Naruto, suddenly shy. This made the woman's smile grow and she moved from behind the counter up to Naruto.

She did not ask permission to hold Sasuke like Hanabi had. She simply held out her arms with gentle but unshakable authority, and Sasuke went to her without protest. She held him like Tsunade had done, stroking his hair and ears with a gentleness that rivalled Hinata's.

"Yes, yes," she was not singing, but her voice flowed like a melody. Her gaze was tender and Sasuke could not look away from it. "You're a good child, aren't you?"

Sasuke purred softly, snuggling a bit closer to her.

She smiled one last time, then turned to Naruto. The tenderness in her eyes had frozen and shattered, effectively snapping the blond out of his trance.

"He's healthy. Clean. Grooming needs some work but he's presentable." Her eyes hardened and Naruto took a step back. "You're doing a good job, so far."

Was that supposed to be a compliment? When a gaze of steel backed those words, Naruto could not be sure if they were a good thing.

"But there's a lot you would not know, and even more that books can never teach you. If anything happens with him that baffles you, or you don't know what to do, do not hesitate to come to me. Understand, Naruto-kun?"

"Yes… yes! Yes, I understand."

"Splendid."

The steel disappeared from her eyes as she turned to Chōji. "You brought them here for the Know-Your-Village mission, Chō-chan?"

"Y-yeah. I know it's late, but Ino really wanted him to see the flower shop."

"Ino-neechan?" asked Sasuke, tilting his head. "This place smells just like her."

"Oh yeah, you said something like that at the meeting, right Sasuke?"

"So you were smelling the flowers from her shop," Hinata noted. The woman's gaze turned to her briefly, but before she could ask, Sasuke's ears lowered in displeasure as he remembered.

"She smelled nice, but she was way too pushy."

Hinata yelped softly. Inoichi and Chōji froze. Naruto blinked, completely oblivious to what was going on.

The woman laughed. "You're right. My daughter has some unfortunate traits and I simply cannot fathom where she got them."

Naruto blinked as though he was watching a rock give birth. "Daughter? Huh? Wait – then you're –!"

Mrs Yamanaka cleared her throat loudly and Naruto shut up. "Well, since you're here, would you like to take a look around?"

Sasuke nodded, so they did. And almost immediately, he was fixated on the fiery orange lilies. Hinata and Mrs Yamanaka frowned.

"These flowers aren't right for you," Ino's mother stated, already moving on to the red carnations.

"What's wrong with these?" asked Naruto, liking their bold colours.

But Hinata gently shook her head and shooed him along to where Mrs Yamanaka was brushing the soft, ruffled petals of carnations against Sasuke's face.

The kitten purred in approval. "These are nice."

"In flower language they mean fascination, distinction and love. Three things that, I think, suit you."

"Distinction…" Sasuke pondered. "Hey, my clan was pretty special, right?"

If she was thrown by the question, she hid it with flawless grace. "Yes. You always knew an Uchiha when they walked down the street. They had a whole different air about them."

Sasuke seemed pleased with that response. He rubbed his face against the carnation again.

"I like this flower," he said decisively. "Are there any others like it?"

He quickly gravitated towards flowers' meanings rather than their looks, and became fond of edelweiss (courage and power) and pear blossoms (lasting friendship).

After explaining that the edelweiss seeds were imported from a land far away, Mrs Yamanaka gave him a small sprig of each. He gave the pear blossoms to Naruto without a second thought. And Naruto could not look at anyone for a while for fear of losing whatever status he had as a shinobi. He did not approve of the edelweiss though: the petals weren't pretty at all and the middle looked like a bunch of google eyes.

But Sasuke was happy with them. He held the sprigs close, lost in thought while fingering their thin, fuzzy petals.

"Naruto?" he called in a soft, pleading voice. Mrs Yamanaka, having heard that tone of voice too many times before, handed the kitten over with a sympathetic look. Not five minutes later, Naruto was buying a mixed bouquet of carnations and edelweiss, while a contented Sasuke looked on.

* * *

Sakura turned her face. Naruto flinched.

They were the only two in the hospital room. After saying goodbye to Chōji, who promised to show off his techniques to Sasuke the next day, the kitten flat-out refused to visit Sakura in the hospital. Instead, he wanted to go back to the apartment with Hinata to take care of some… important business.

He refused to tell Naruto the nature of this business, obviously. This irked Naruto, obviously.

But Hinata quickly placated the situation, saying that the bouquet needed to be put in water right away and she had left some things at the apartment anyway.

With that they went their separate ways.

And Naruto was left to fend for himself against a heavily disappointed Haruno. The peony he had given her, and its meaning of medicine and healing, were left discarded on the bedside table.

"So you just came to get your Application Forms and leave. You didn't bring him."

"I-it's not like that, Sakura-chan. I wanted Sasuke to come, but he didn't want to…"

"Even if he was sleeping, I wanted to see him."

"I know. I know it sucks with just me here, but I promise – I _really_ promise I'll bring him tomorrow Sakura-chan, okay?"

Sakura's body stilled before she slowly turned to Naruto, who was bowing his head. A cold shiver ran through her.

"Raise your head, Naruto," she snapped, unable to stand the sight. Naruto quickly straightened, staring apprehensively at the pink girl.

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry. It doesn't suck with just you. I'm happy you came to see me, I just…"

"I know. I get it. Tomorrow – I'll bring him tomorrow for sure."

"What if it rains again tomorrow?"

"It won't rain. I promise." Naruto put a fist to his heart with absolution.

Sakura gawked. "Naruto, it's okay really. You don't have to swear on your life's blood. And you can't even make a promise like that anyway, you idiot," she scolded.

"I'll still try."

"Naruto…"

"I'll find some way to climb up to the clouds and tell them not to rain."

Sakura snorted. "Naruto, cut it out already…"

"And if they won't listen, I'll hit them with my Rasengan."

Sakura laughed. "N-Naruto… enough…"

"And if that won't work…"

"Enough!" Sakura collapsed onto her pillows, laughing spiritedly. "Okay, I get it okay? So enough… Laughing so hard hurts…" And the fact that she could realistically picture Naruto yelling at the clouds did not help matters.

"Okay. I forgive you, okay? So no more…" She breathed out, exhausted. Naruto smiled happily.

Sakura opened her eyes, looking at the white ceiling. She blinked.

"Naruto? Where _is_ Sasuke-kun?"

"My place."

"Your place."

"Yup."

"And you're here."

"Yeah. I wanted to see you."

"Oh. I see." She leaned over the side of her bed.

"What're you looking for? Can I help?"

"Oh no, I'm good. Just stay standing right there, Naruto."

And from under her bed, she pulled out a medical journal five times the size of her romance novel, and with an even harder cover.

She looked at Naruto for a moment, then lifted the book slowly until it was in a distinct throwing position…

By the time Naruto realised she had been taking her aim with that stare, her arms were already reared all the way back, ready to let that missile fly.

"Hinata! Hinata's with him! I didn't leave him alone! Hinata's there with him!"

Naruto cowered right back into the same depression he had left in the wall a night prior. Or tried to, the table got in the way and he banged himself against it, upending all the flower vases.

Sakura blinked again and put down her concrete slab of a book as easily as a stuffed animal.

"Hinata?" she asked guilelessly.

Naruto flinched, but when he realised she had put down her weapon and was waiting for an answer, he exhaled.

"Yeah. Hinata's there with him. He said he had business to take care of, so they went back together." Something wet was soaking into his pants; Naruto looked back at the table, winced and took some dirty linens from the basket by the door.

"Went back? Hinata was in your apartment before?"

Naruto's cheeks turned red as he sopped up the water and righted the vases. "Uh, yeah, kind of."

"Explain that to me."

"Uh, actually, we met Hinata in the streets and –" Sakura's fingers twitched around her book "– okay, okay! I'll… tell the truth."

When Naruto finished his story, his ears were so red they glowed. So did Sakura's.

"So you spent half a day with Hinata?"

Naruto blinked. He had not thought of it time-wise, but Hinata was there for lunch and dinner, and the entire time in-between. "Yeah. I kind of forgot about it. But since I asked her to give me cooking tips, I'll probably be around her all the time…" Naruto trailed off, humming a little in his throat. "Yeah…"

When he looked up, Sakura was giving him an amazed smile that did not feel like it was for him. "I see. Tell her I'm happy for her."

"Uh… okay."

They chatted on. Sakura was given another reason to punch Shino, and tried not to laugh at the ghost story that Naruto hilariously butchered, but finally lost control when he recounted his first time meeting Mrs Yamanaka.

But as he was describing the 'ugly-as-sin' weed (edelweiss) that Sasuke liked, he cut himself off and stared at the window.

"Naruto?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. I just started thinking and… maybe a girl would get it better…"

"Hm?"

Naruto fixed her with a serious stare. "Why is Sasuke so hooked on Hinata?" Sakura blinked. "He…" Naruto gestured, trying to find words, "He liked her right away… even before the Know-Your-Village mission. You remember, right? When he said she's the prettiest?" Sakura nodded silently. "Why? I mean – do you think Hinata wears perfume with catnip in it or something?"

"Perfume with catnip?" Sakura echoed.

"Oh, yeah, it's like pheromones." Her jaw dropped. Did Naruto just say a word like 'pheromones' without stuttering or coming up with an idiotic alternative? "They put it in perfumes because it attracts butterflies and repels mosquitoes and stuff. I wouldn't blame Hinata for using it with Shino (Naruto shuddered) as her teammate. And then there are some people who really love cats so…"

Sakura inhaled in astonishment. When had Naruto gotten so knowledgeable about cat trivia?

She held up a hand to stop him from continuing. "Sorry, Naruto, I zoned out for a bit. What were we really talking about?"

"Why Sasuke likes Hinata. I think it's the catnip. She probably doesn't realise –"

She held up her hand again. "Sasuke-kun… didn't tell you?" she asked quietly.

"Tell me what?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment. But under Naruto's eager gaze, she talked. "Hinata looks like his mom. To his eyes anyway."

Naruto looked so lost that Sakura pitied him. She opened her oversized medical journal and beckoned him closer while flipping through the pages.

"Here. This is a picture of Sasuke's dad." _Looks as harsh as Hiashi,_ thought Naruto. "Itachi looks like him."

She ignored Naruto's startled glance, looking sadly at the picture. "Who expects their son to be a psychopath?" She was talking to herself. At least, Naruto hoped so. That was not a question he could even begin to answer.

"Anyway, do you think Sasuke looks like him?"

"Not at all."

"Right. He has to look like someone. So if not his dad, he has to look like his mom." Naruto was starting to get an annoying smirk on his face. "Quit picturing him as a woman, Naruto."

"I – I wasn't…"

"Anyway, what are Sasuke-kun's most easily identifiable characteristics?" Three blinks. That was code for 'I'm an idiot so can you please explain so that a child can understand?'

"Fine. What are Sasuke-kun's basic looks? As basic as you can get?"

Naruto closed his eyes to think. "Pale skin. Dark hair. Dark eyes."

"Right. If that's him, then that's his mom."

"Okay," his eyes were still closed.

"So now picture Hinata. What do you see?" She did not miss the small smile that came to Naruto's face as he thought. That was good, since the expression was short-lived. His eyes opened, glazed in mild shock.

"Oh…"

"Pale skin. Dark hair. White eyes, but gentle just like hers used to be. A child his age… you can't blame him for missing the nuances."

Naruto did not know how to feel.

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Sakura told him, closing her massive book. "There's no right way to feel about it. It's just how it is. Sasuke-kun adores her. Well, he loves you so I guess this can't be too surprising."

Naruto stood up. "Sit down idiot." Naruto sat down. "Let's give them some more time together." She picked up her peony and gently fondled its petals.

Naruto leaned back in his chair, wondering if he should still talk to Sasuke about it. If he was just using her as a replacement for his mom, then it wasn't very fair to Hinata…

"You know, it really scared me when I heard that you told Sasuke-kun about his clan." Naruto was physically startled. That had come from nowhere, but from Sakura's distant eyes, she'd wanted to say this for a while.

"I cried. And I yelled at Jiraiya-sama. And for a moment, I hated you."

Naruto gulped, his stomach filling with frozen acid. For all the beatings and yellings, 'you're annoying' was the worst insult he had ever received from Sakura.

She really meant it. Back then, she had really hated him.

"But I was wrong. Though I wish you had talked to me first, you did the best for Sasuke-kun by telling him the truth. I saw it back then and I see it now. Nothing's changed from three years ago. When it comes to Sasuke-kun, you and I are on the same page."

She looked at him, jade eyes solid with resolve.

"We messed up the first time and let him go. Now, he's ours again. You won't leave me behind this time. This time, we will _both_ give our lives for him to live in peace."

Under her unmoving gaze, Naruto only held out his hand. Surprise drew a short blink out of the pink girl, before the corner of her lip quirked and she confirmed their vow with a firm handshake.

"Well, that's that," she said lightly, turning back to her peony. "So tell me more about the flowers. I heard from Ino that she got some Moondust the other day that I've been dying to see."

* * *

"Hinata-neechan, do you love Naruto?"

Hinata stuttered and almost lost her grip on the vase she was carrying. Swallowing, she set the vase down carefully and placed the flowers inside.

"Wh-why would you ask that?"

Sasuke stared shrewdly at her. He was sitting on the kitchen table where Hinata put the vase, his legs dangling over the side. "I love Naruto lots," he said as a matter of course. "So I know when someone loves Naruto," he stated with unhidden pride.

Hinata smiled. He was cute, not understanding how his love and hers were different.

"You love Naruto lots too," Sasuke said, sounding a bit unhappy. "You, Jii-chan and Iruka-sensei are the only ones whose feelings don't lose to mine."

That surprised her. His radar was better than she thought.

"But, Naruto knows that Jii-chan and Iruka-sensei love him. He doesn't know that you love him."

"Th-that… um…"

"Tell him when he gets back. He's dumb so he won't understand unless you say it plainly."

"No!" Sasuke froze. Hinata's face turned red. "I-I'm sorry, Sasuke-chan. But I cannot tell him."

"Why?"

"The way I love him is different from you and Jiraiya-sama and Iruka-sensei. I-I can't tell him. Please accept my feelings." A polite way to resolve a difference of opinions. Sasuke would not have it.

"I don't accept it. Now I'm mad at you, Hinata-neechan."

Hinata froze. Sasuke was glaring at her. "I said you don't lose to me. It's an insult to me if you don't tell Naruto that you love him. That means I'm equal with a coward." Sasuke folded his arms, his dark eyes boring into her quivering white ones.

"Sasuke-chan… you really don't understand. I have no right to love Naruto." She turned to the flowers on the table. Her fingers moved delicately, absently arranging them. "He's bright. He's like the sun. He warms up everything and everyone, but he's so far away. I watch him, I run after him, I try to be strong like him. But I haven't reached him yet. All I ever keep doing is borrowing from his strength. He deserves someone better than me; someone as brilliant as he is and worthy to stand in his light."

"I don't get it," Sasuke pouted. Hinata nodded in her self-defeat, knowing he would never understa - "I'm way weaker than you, Hinata-neechan. But I already told him I love him. So how come someone strong like you can't say it?"

Hinata was speechless. The kitten was genuinely confused, and that robbed her of any rebuttal. But more than that… Sasuke Uchiha thought _she_ was strong?

"You're wrong," he concluded after some thought. He said it like it was the only truth in the world. "It's like… if you're the police, it only matters if you tell people that they're breaking the law. So, if you love Naruto, it only matters if you tell him that. No one in the whole world can tell him that but you."

Sasuke smiled at the stunned girl. "I was scared too. I thought he'd laugh at me," Sasuke frowned for a moment. "But you know, it makes Naruto _really_ happy when you tell him you love him. He gets this _really_ big smile on his face!" Sasuke stretched his arms up to show her how big the smile was. "He'll smile when you tell him too."

Hinata did not miss the 'when' in his statement. In his eyes, this event might as well have already happened, and as such no longer needed to be discussed.

To that point, Sasuke leaped off the table and looked meaningfully at the Hyūga.

"I need your help. Follow me." He disappeared into the bedroom before she could nod.

She blinked, took her hands from the flowers and smiled when she remembered Naruto's words.

'_Ice-prince authority', huh? I think I might have been a bit harsh with you, Naruto-kun. He really is…_

"Hinata-neechan!"

She smiled again and followed.

The closet door was open. Sasuke was standing on top of a small stepladder, rummaging through the assortment of clothes. He held up one of the shirts Naruto had bought for him, looking at it with some displeasure.

"What is it?" The shirt (blue with orange sleeves) looked fine to her.

"It's mine," he muttered, ears lowering. "It's mine but look at the back," he pushed the shirt closer.

Hinata tilted her head a little, trying to see what was wrong. Sasuke, what she remembered of him, always wore those wide-necked shirts but they were plain. There was nothing special about the back…

Wait. It had caught her eye when she entered the room, but she had glanced over it. Now she looked at Sasuke's new bed properly, with his clan's symbol engraved into the bed head. The back of his shirt now looked woefully empty.

"You want me to sew on the clan symbol for you?"

Blushing, Sasuke nodded. When he caught her questioning glance, the shyness dissolved.

"My clan's dead." Hinata flinched. Those words were awful, yet Sasuke flung them out so coldly. This was coldness she recognised, unable to ever forget Neji's harsh and painful speeches about destiny. This ice bore a terrible kind of acceptance, forcefully adopted in order to keep pushing oneself forward.

In a sad epiphany she realised that, when filled with this acceptance, Sasuke's expression returned to the characteristic blankness of his 'before' days.

Sasuke continued, his tone lifeless. "Nii-chan's bad. I'm the only real member of the clan left." His voice picked up, life and uncompromised duty in his words. "Naruto's my family, but I'm still an Uchiha. I'm the only one who can carry the clan's pride on my back."

"Sasuke-chan…" Hinata was touched that he found her worthy of this. But, this did not feel like her place.

"What about Naruto-kun?"

She expected him to look uncomfortable. The outright fear he displayed threw her off completely.

"It's _wrong_ to ask Naruto to do this."

"Wrong?" Hinata was worried. The kitten was paler than usual. And his eyes were wide and glazed over in subtle terror.

"He doesn't give up, Hinata-neechan," he spoke in an empty voice. "He doesn't stop until he gets something. If I ask him to do this, with needles, he'll keep trying. And he'll fail. With needles. And keep trying. With needles."

And suddenly, Hinata _saw_. It was an image of Naruto, and many, many, _many_ needles, coming together in painful and tragic chaos to create a living cactus.

"I'll take some clothes tonight," she said without any more thought, pulling some shirts from their hangers. "I won't tell Naruto-kun about this. You should come up with something to tell him too."

"I'm covered," Sasuke waved his hand, fear gone and a smirk in its proper place.

Hinata smiled. "Could you bring the bag I brought the hats in, Sasuke-chan? I think I left it in the kitchen."

Sasuke nodded and ran off. Hinata gathered as many clothes as she thought she could manage and rearranged the closet so that Naruto would not notice anything missing. She turned around, only to find that Sasuke had not left the room. He was crouched in front of a picture on the dresser.

The kitten was eerily still, not a hair twitching even when Hinata called his name. This was the first time he had ever noticed the picture. Illness, grief and long stays in the hospital had made him oblivious to such a small detail in the room he now shared with Naruto.

Facing the impossible image, Sasuke shuddered. He knew, always, that he was right in the way he remembered everyone. Nothing Naruto or anyone else said could have changed that. But this one picture, taken in poor form, without proper poses or expressions, made him doubt himself more than Naruto's assurances that _he_ was the one who was different ever could.

He was older. Colder. Meaner. Looking away yet somehow _glaring_ at Naruto like the bane of his life. And Naruto readily matched him; hot hate clashing against cold.

The front door opened as a worried Hinata's fingers grazed his shoulder. Sasuke turned to the door, waiting. A pair of shoes dropped on the floor and bounced, landing in their usual haphazard positions. He waited. Lazy footsteps moved to the kitchen.

Sasuke hissed. Hinata jumped, and failed to call him back in time.

Sasuke darted into the kitchen just as Naruto raised a glass of water to his lips.

"Bad manners, Naruto," he scolded. The blond's shoulders twitched; he whipped around to find Sasuke rudely standing on the kitchen table, glaring at him.

"You're supposed to say 'I'm home' when you come home." Naruto stared blankly at him, causing Sasuke's frown to worsen. "How else am I supposed to greet you and say 'welcome back' when you don't say anything when you come home? Even Nii-chan would say it."

Naruto's eyes grew wide. Sasuke tch'ed and turned his face, annoyed. "Well, anyway, welcome back Naruto." He grabbed Hinata's bag from the table and returned to the bedroom, uncaring of Naruto's eyes on him.

Hinata was preparing to jump out the window. She took the bag from the startled kitten, stuffed the clothes inside and put one foot on the roof –

"Hinata. You're still here?" She froze in the cold night air. "Ah – I'm an idiot. You can't leave Sasuke alone so of course you're still here." She should have made her escape while he was talking. But no matter how she reprimanded herself, her iced-over muscles would not move.

"Uh… Hinata? What are you doing?"

She slowly turned her head and looked at his feet. Whatever strength had possessed her washed away in the rain. This was Naruto's home. This was Naruto's room. Naruto was standing a mere three meters away.

It was not her. It could not have been her that stood in Naruto's light without fear. It was another Hinata. That 'other' Hinata laughed with Naruto, talked with Naruto, even teased Naruto. Not her. Not this worthless girl who could not even look at him now.

She had forgotten her place and grown bold. But now her reason returned to her, and she could see her error clearly. And she _loathed_ herself for it. What could have possibly made her forget _what she was_ in the first place?

"Hinata-_neechan_!" Her Byakugan almost came to life as her head snapped up. Sasuke's eyes met hers. "Watch."

He leaped into Naruto's arms and touched noses with the startled blond.

"Naruto. I love you."

"Wha –"

Sasuke did not receive the big smile he wanted to show off to Hinata. Instead, Naruto froze, speechless. But the Hyūga unfroze. Sensing the movement of chakra, veins bulged around her eyes instinctively.

What…was this? She had never seen anything like this. Sasuke was pulling Naruto's chakra into his body. And any chakra Naruto lost was immediately replenished by Sasuke's own. A mutual exchange of chakra. Was such a thing possible? One can give chakra or take it but an exchange was… bizarre. What purpose would it serve? She would have to ask her father. Perhaps his eyes have seen this. Whatever this chakra movement was, it was on the level of a high-rank healing technique. Truly bizarre since baby Sasuke was the one to initiate such a technique.

Naruto yelled. The volume returned the Hyūga to earth.

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing, Sasuke?!" he stuttered in an eerie imitation of Sakura from the night before. "You can't just do that all of a sudden! Wha –" Naruto froze again. Sasuke was _scowling_ at him.

"You were supposed to smile," the kitten grumbled.

"How can I smile when you just shove it in my face like that?" Naruto argued, angry and genuinely confused.

Sasuke's ears twitched. His sour expression turned a bit sad. "So you're not happy? I thought it made you happy when I tell you I love you." Sasuke's eyes and ears lowered. "You don't say 'I'm home' either," he muttered, a hint of pain in his voice. "I thought you were nice. I thought we were family but… you're really mean, Naruto."

Naruto's arms tightened around the child. Pained blue eyes slowly looked to the floor and he muttered something that Hinata could not hear.

"What?" Sasuke's ears caught the muttered words but he could not understand them.

Naruto lifted his head a bit so he was face to face with Sasuke. But his eyes refused to stay on the kitten.

"I don't know how to be a family," the admission was quiet and full of shame. It was like speaking aloud about a secret deformity on the body that was kept hidden for years.

Sasuke tried very hard to understand. But Naruto's words were strange. Being family was not head knowledge like jutsu – you either were or you weren't.

Naruto continued, unaware of the kitten's confusion. "When I'm with people I care about, I always have to wonder if being with them is what family is. They're great. All my friends, Ero-sennin, Iruka-sensei, they're all really great. But I never had a family like yours, so there was never anyone here waiting for me to get home. There's no point in saying 'I'm home' to no one, right?" He smiled a little and finally looked at Sasuke.

"But now you're here, so I'm gonna have to try. And… you know… no one's ever said they love me. You're the first person I've ever heard it from." The pained gasp from the lavender figure at the window went unheard. "So when you say it, I freeze up and I don't know what to do. But I am happy. It's embarrassing, but hearing it makes me super happy." He brought the kitten close, the tips of their noses touching. "So you can say it as much as you want."

And then, Naruto smiled _that_ smile and the whole world grew dim.

Hinata's breath was stolen by the light. Sasuke was relieved. After a moment, he brought his hands up to Naruto's cheeks.

And shoved Naruto's face away from him.

"You're too close. And too mushy. It's gross, Naruto."

A red crease throbbed in Naruto's temple. "That's why I yell at you, you little brat! You're the one who started the whole nose-touching thing!"

Sasuke frowned. "It's okay if I start it. You starting it is too weird." The last strand of Naruto's restraint snapped. Whatever he yelled next was loud enough to wake the entire apartment complex, and was quickly interrupted by Sasuke's claws poking painfully into his chest. "Too loud," the kitten scolded, ignoring his (much quieter) complaint completely. "You'll upset Hinata-neechan."

"Hi –" Oh yes. She was still here, wasn't she?

Naruto's face turned a ripe shade as he slowly turned to face the blushing girl. The two parties seemed ready to stare dumbly at each other until the sun came up, until Sasuke snapped them out of their trance by giving a surreptitious thumbs-up to Hinata.

"Um…" She looked at Naruto, who blinked back blankly.

She smiled in defeat and lowered her head. "I saw what you wanted to show me. Thank you, Sasuke-chan. But I can't say it yet. I'm sorry."

She turned from them, finally climbing out onto the waterlogged rooftop. "Good night." She leaped away, disappearing into the darkness.

Sasuke sighed. If _not_ saying it made her that unhappy, what was the point? He didn't get it.

So he thumped Naruto on the head with his tail.

"It's your fault," Sasuke accused, wiggling out of Naruto's grip and dropping to the ground. He headed for the bathroom, coldly ignoring the blonde's confused stutters.

* * *

After their bath, they wrapped themselves up in a big blanket. Naruto leaned back on the pillows, Sasuke leaned back on him, and both stared at the photo that stood at the foot of the bed.

Sasuke asked his questions. "Did you hate me?"

And Naruto answered honestly. "Yeah. I did. You were really skilled and popular, so I was jealous of you. But you were also my closest friend."

The kitten tilted his head back, looking up at the blond to see if he spoke the truth. The eyes that looked back at him were not fake.

"Hn. Did I hate you?"

"Yup. I… might've been kinda annoying back then."

"Back then?"

"I got better!"

"Hn."

"Sasuke…" He rubbed his knuckles deep into the kitten's hair. Sasuke tried to get away but the blanket's warm folds trapped him. He purred unhappily, fixing his messed up hair so it was slightly less spiky than it always was.

"You were my closest friend."

Surprised, Naruto asked, "How do you know?"

He knew Sasuke was smirking. "Because I'm me. If we were on a team together, then you were definitely my friend."

Warm arms closed around him in silent thanks. Sasuke accepted the hug with a silent smile.

"That's Sakura, right?" Sasuke pointed to the pink girl crouched cutely in the front. Naruto assented. "She was on our team too?" Another affirmation. "She's cool," was the simple conclusion. "Big forehead, though."

Naruto snorted, but quickly stopped. Paranoia struck him – Sakura might somehow find out that he laughed at her forehead. It never mattered if it was Sasuke's fault; he was the one who would be shoved into another wall, or through a few buildings.

"Who's the weird guy behind us?"

Naruto cleared his throat – it was a little dry from his Sakura-punch phobia. "That's Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke stared at his apologetically smiling eye. "What's with the mask?"

"Dunno."

"Ever seen him without it?"

"Nope."

"Ever tried to take it off?"

"We failed."

"Oh." Sasuke vaguely remembered him from the hospital. He had asked him why he never said 'nyā', and Sasuke had answered with something. But he had been napping during the visit, so everything was fuzzy. There was one shining detail though.

"He has a Sharingan, right?"

"Yeah. Oh! He's not an Uchiha –"

"I know _that_, Naruto. I'm the first one who can tell a member of my clan."

"Oh."

"How'd he get the Sharingan?"

"I don't know. I don't think he ever told anyone."

"Oh." He shook himself free of the blankets and crawled towards the picture, taking it up in both hands. "Team 7," he muttered. "So I'm really…"

"Sasuke?" Naruto leaned forward a little, worried when the kitten did not respond. "Sasuke?"

Fuzzy ears twitched and Sasuke slowly turned to him. "I need your help. There's something I gotta do."

"Okay, what?"

"Later. Let's sleep now."

* * *

**A/N: First, thank you, thank you, thank you all for sticking with me this far. All the reviews, favourites and follows are immensely appreciated. And wow what an epic delay. What can I say: work, school and learning to become a better writer actually took me away from writing for a while. The irony is painful. Anyway, the plot really starts moving from here so look forward to it.**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you next time!**


	18. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The third morning, like any other morning, arrived in darkness. Kakashi's team would set out for Sora-ku in this darkness and reach the desolate town by dawn's new light. Unknowingly, two figures travelled along Konoha's rooftops, starting their private mission at exactly the same time.

"Thanks for this, Naruto."

"No problem," a light reply accented with a yawn. "It's a clan ritual, right? But doing it before the sun rises is a little rough. Who thought that part up?"

Sasuke giggled. "It is weird. Nii-chan told me to respect my ancestors when I asked him."

"So he doesn't know either."

"Nope." They laughed. The sound was lost in the cold wind rushing past them. It really was early; only a few minutes past three a.m.

The rotting Uchiha district was as silent as when they first came. Under the closed eyes of the sleeping (knocked out) security guards, a dozen Narutos spread throughout the ruins, collecting wood from every demolished house and building.

Sasuke and the real Naruto collected from (what used to be) the kitten's house. As he finally wrenched a blood-stained plank free from the pile, Sasuke asked,

"Why is my district all busted up?"

The plank came loose with the creak of settling wood, and Naruto fell on his backside next to his friend. He winced and held up the board. Sasuke met his gaze unsmiling. Naruto glanced away, rolling his lip under his teeth. From what Jiraiya told him, he had expected this question. So he had asked Kakashi about it.

"You asked the Hokage to do it." Silent, Sasuke stared at the broken rubble that was once his home, unmoving. "The district was becoming something of a tourist attraction." The hair on his tail stood up. Naruto took it as validation of the story he was telling. "No matter what Old Man Hokage said or did, people would always come and take pictures or walk through the district. He didn't have enough manpower to spare to keep them all out."

Sasuke shook slightly, his ears lying flat. His tail stood straight up, an angry fluff of fur. He said nothing, but a dangerous aura thickened around him.

"You went to him and told him to raze the place. For you, it was better to have the district destroyed than have people trample on your family's memory. Since you technically owned the land as the last Uchiha, he agreed. And it worked – no one ever came here again."

"Hn." Baby fat muscles tensed on the verge of attack, the kitten grunted an answer and Naruto left him alone. He had learned through painful experience to wait until Sasuke's fur settled and his ears rose before prodding him.

During the Uchiha's cool down, the clones returned with their spoils and the grim salvage was tied into a bundle that Naruto strapped to his back. After dissipating the clones Naruto hoisted his load, looked at the silent Sasuke, and the two proceeded wordlessly to the clan's final resting place.

In front of the marble sepulchre and obelisk memorial, they made a pyre with the bloodied wood. It took half an hour, the clumsy structure repeatedly falling, but determination finally saw it sturdy enough to stand up on its own. The clones had done their best to find wood that was not too rotten or too drenched from the recent rain. Hard work, a lot of digging and one or two Rasengans harvested what they needed, and Sasuke was grateful.

To complete the offering, the kitten spread carnations and edelweiss on top.

"Sorry I didn't have any incense," the blond apologized, stuffing the last bit of kindling into the bottom of the pyre.

"It's okay. The flowers are enough."

The seals were made. Naruto stepped back – it was not his place anymore.

A stream of flame, blown gently from Sasuke's lips, consumed the tinder, the kindling, and the blood-cursed fuel of the Uchiha's last remnants. The flames rose high, curling and snapping with almost obscene liveliness. The flowers burned last but perished first, their beauty and meanings consumed by the ever-ascending fire.

The smell of old and rotten blood permeated the graveyard. Sasuke did not recoil: this was his family's blood, spilled as with their dying breaths they cursed their fate and its executor. The flames turned red, their vibrant dance now wild and violent.

Fury. Hate. That was all that was left of the district, of the clan. That, and Sasuke.

Sasuke was angry; he always would be. Sasuke did hate, sometimes. But when Naruto was around, he could never hold on to it. When Naruto smiled, hatred just seemed so… stupid.

Sasuke knelt and closed his eyes.

_I'm sorry, everyone. I can't carry your hatred. I don't want to and Naruto won't like it. So please, let your grudge get burned up in these flames, so you all can rest in peace._

The fire swelled, roaring crimson cursed the black sky. Naruto stared at the untamed flames, finding Sasuke too close, but the kitten was calm, unbothered by the heat and sound. Uchiha never feared fire.

_No. It's not my duty. Naruto – my Nii-chan is my family, and he told me I'm free._

Sasuke's forehead crunched and he frowned. Naruto took a few steps forward, ready to pull him to safety when the kitten shook his head, his ears flopping wildly.

And, almost in obedience, the flames settled down to a modest crackle, angry crimson bleeding out of them.

Naruto's hand dropped to his side, a small smile growing while Sasuke's frown faded. His friend was strong – he should not have expected different.

With Sasuke at peace, he looked at the marble sepulchre. Despite what was inside, the powerful architecture always impressed him. He almost did not register the movement just on the periphery of his vision; the familiar amble of one of his Shadow Clones. It nodded to Naruto, who nodded back. It picked Sasuke up. Naruto blinked. The familiar sight of another him muffled the buzzing doubt. It was a Shadow Clone. Just like any other Shadow Clone.

Just like the Shadow Clones he had dispelled back in the Uchiha District.

Two clones popped into existence beside him.

Fake Naruto smiled; a wide, unnatural grin with ugly teeth.

Real Naruto charged, a _Fūton: Rasengan_ buzzing in his hand.

Sasuke flew, thrown by his captor into the arms of a grey-cloaked figure.

Fake Naruto jumped back. Real Naruto did not stop, only switched his target and thrust out the mini-bladed sphere, ready to grind the hooded figure's face off.

A white smile flashed in the darkness. Naruto blinked and there was Sasuke, held out by the scruff of the neck as a shield to his jutsu. Naruto skidded to a stop, the whirl of wind and chakra dissipating. The pyre's light danced on the edge of a drawn kunai; the enemy pressed the orange-dipped point into Sasuke's neck, drawing a tiny droplet of red. Naruto gritted his teeth and leaped back a couple meters, giving the man the distance he silently requested. The stranger nodded to the two clones and they were gone in a cloud of smoke. The third clone, born in shadows, immediately sped through the trees and away from the district.

"Who are you?" Naruto growled, the Kyūbi's chakra roiling.

_Keep it back. Draw the chakra, not the will. If the will comes out, Sasuke will be hurt._

Another smile. The hooded man nodded to his ally and gestured with full hands. Naruto's fake helpfully tossed back his hood.

"Ka –"

The man's eyes widened, appraising him. "Believe it or not, I mean you no harm Naruto-kun."

Naruto's stomach hurt. Guilt and impotence ate away his guts. Sasuke, who had been right in front of him, right _there_, was now hostage to a man who only owned half of his own face. The other half, white-scaled skin and a purple-ringed snake's eye, belonged to his former master.

With eyes scorching crimson, Naruto snarled. "How did you get in here?! Kabuto!"

"Well, listen to you. Growling like a bear whose cub is threatened."

Kabuto laughed, high-pitched and strange, its joy barely contained. Crimson reluctantly left Naruto's eyes, but slit pupils narrowed.

Kabuto drew back the kunai, a globule of Sasuke's blood precariously balanced on its tip. Naruto did not move; Kabuto could still slice Sasuke's throat if he so much as smelled an attack.

_Wait. Wait. Keep drawing chakra through the filter. Slowly. Wait._

"Eh?" the apprentice with no master held Sasuke up to his face, adjusting his glasses. "I heard the rumours but this is beyond what I expected. No power, no intelligence," glee coloured his cheeks and he shook his helpless prey. "You really have been degraded, huh Sasuke-kun?"

"_Don't touch –!_" Naruto's scream choked on the blood that trickled from the kitten's cut cheek.

Sasuke neither moved nor cried out, his deadened gaze locked on Kabuto. This man's chakra stank. It was a rotten mixture of two disparate existences, master and servant, and the former devoured the latter. The slow consumption – only a third so far – masked terrifying patience. There was no rush. The servant could not hope to fight. The master would eat and keep eating until it gained a new body for his own.

_Stupid_. Sasuke hung limp in the criminal's grip. His wounds stung as the blood clotted but he uttered nothing, his expression undisturbed. Naruto's heavy breaths pounded into his ears, and a maddened blue gaze burned into the kitten's shallow wounds. Naruto was about to lose control. Sasuke had learned from his nii-chan: a hostage should never show pain, fear, or make eye contact with a rescuer about to lose it. Bad decisions would be made, and someone would die. Sasuke needed to be calm so Naruto could stay sane. And as soon as an opening presented itself… Sasuke would claw this man's face open.

"Always Sasuke-this Sasuke-that eh Naruto-kun?" Naruto growled. "Whoa-whoa now. As I said before, I have no ill intentions. I'm not your enemy."

"Then let Sasuke go."

Kabuto laughed again. "That would be counterproductive. You'd run off to that meddling Hokage of yours as soon as you had him."

"Nope. First I'd get Sasuke out of here. Then I'd beat the living crap out of you and drag you to the nearest prison cell."

"So dangerous, Naruto-kun." He grinned, the lunatic expression splitting his face. "Must you always resort to violence? I just want to talk to you a bit."

"You snuck into Konoha – into the Uchiha cemetery – just to talk?"

"It's not my fault you like to frequent such dreary places. I would have much preferred to meet with you in the comfort of your home, or a ramen shop." He chuckled at something he apparently thought was funny. "Just kidding! Actually I was indulging a bit in my hobby of collecting, but you and little Sasuke interrupted me."

His smile faded a bit, and with it some sanity returned to his eyes. "I wished to speak with you before, but sadly you were not allowed on that mission."

_Calm. Stay calm. Keep drawing chakra. As much as you can. _

Behind him, Fake Naruto handed Kabuto a file. He flipped through it single-handedly, his eyes devouring the pages, untroubled by the darkness. "I wanted to thank you, Naruto-kun. After Orochimaru-sama died, I no longer knew who I was. But your trials and hardships inspired me to –"

He stopped. Like a kunai to the throat, Kabuto's voice stopped, his parted lips releasing empty air. The blur of flipping pages was now still. Hard eyes glared at a single page in hollow amazement.

"Amnesia…" his gaze became half-lidded, "No cure…huh?" He barked out a disdainful sound, shaking Sasuke in wild gesticulation. "So it's true! HAH! Slug Princess?! Goddess of Medical Ninjutsu?! And not even _she_ has a cure?!"

"So what?" Naruto yelled, angered by Sasuke's mistreatment and the insult to his Hokage. "Can _you_ heal him?"

Kabuto choked on his scorn; coughing, he adjusted his glasses that were skewed from his sudden fit. In a grave-dead voice, "Amnesia is not my strong point," he answered with true humility, as though admitting a great shame.

For a moment, Naruto saw someone else standing before him; a different Kabuto with bleak eyes who was simply lost. But only for a moment.

The Kabuto Naruto knew and hated dug his fingertips into Sasuke's nape and brought the kitten face-to-face with him. He searched the empty eyes, found what he craved, and rage flashed in the only eye that belonged to him. "How…? _How_…?!"

He fixed a mismatched glare on Naruto. Orochimaru's eye, the stronger of the pair, almost glowed as it studied its prey. Naruto glared back with a firm jaw and a tiny shiver up his spine.

"Here." A plain book landed at Naruto's feet. "A gift. Belated but still good." Fake Naruto made a noise of protest, but was ignored. "Like I said earlier, I'm grateful to you. Your journey gave me courage. This," he gestured to the scaled half of his face, "is the result of my determination to change. I took Orochimaru-sama's remains inside of me –"

"Is any of this supposed to mean something to me?" Naruto growled.

Kabuto blinked and shook his head by an invisible fraction. "You and I are similar, Naruto-kun. We have both struggled with our identity. People saw you as the Kyūbi, but you fought and endured every day until you were finally acknowledged as Uzumaki Naruto. You forged your own identity and shared it with others. That is what makes you strong."

Naruto retched on Kabuto's admiration. A fraction was all he needed – a sliver of a second where Kabuto would loosen his grip.

"I thought I could also be strong. Surpass Orochimaru-sama, avenge his death by killing Sasuke-kun, all to lead the way towards my perfect self. But," he shrugged, an exaggerated rolling of shoulders, "there's no point to it now. Killing Sasuke-kun when he is so pathetic is pointless. The way is now lost. You and Sasuke-kun took it away," scaled skin snapped as he smiled, "and then stood in its place."

Orochimaru's yellow iris pulsated, responding to an excited heartbeat. Naruto clenched his teeth, bone grating bone.

"Do you see, Naruto-kun? _Identity_. Sasuke-kun's amnesia should have wiped his identity clean. He should have no idea who he is, what he is meant to do. But he does. And you have something to do with it." Kabuto spread his arms, his smile wider. "Of course you do! The master who forged his own identity when he could barely write or read! You did it! You two gave me a dream, crushed it, and then _dazzled_ me." He was exuberant, all wide-eyed fascination and joy.

Naruto swallowed the nausea that bubbled up in his throat and drew more of the Kyūbi's chakra.

"I looked into Sasuke-kun's eyes. And I did not see emptiness, wandering or hopelessness. I saw _purpose_. I saw _**identity**_. That is why I had to come here to verify it for myself. To see if it is possible, to know _how_ it is possible! Do you _see_, Naruto-kun? You two _interest_ me."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke: the kitten's dark eyes, polished stones, reflected the pyre's light. Their eyes did not meet. And all Naruto could do was wait.

"So what?" Kabuto blinked. "We interest you? That's it? That's the only reason you snuck into Konoha?"

"Ah." Kabuto lowered his arms a bit and both eyes dulled. Fake Naruto frowned slightly. Kabuto gave him an embarrassed half-smile. "You see, about that…" He slipped the intel file into his cloak.

His free hand glowed – a streak of blue – and Fake Naruto's head went flying.

The three spectators gawked as the head rolled to a stop and melted into white mud. Kabuto _laughed_.

"My, my, Orochimaru-sama's power is quite amazing! I was simply aiming to sever the trachea, but _that_ was impressive!" His head cocked back, his entire body loose on drunken cackles. By the time he regained himself and readjusted his glasses, the fake had melted into a white puddle of malformed flesh.

"Forgive me for that, you two," he glanced at the ground, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Orochimaru-sama still… asserts himself now and again." He smiled weakly at the pale Jinchūriki before jabbing his thumb at the puddle of ick behind him. "That was an imposter who attached itself to Sakura-san. I don't know when it detached itself from her, but any information she has heard or witnessed has been compromised. And as you can see, he can make a perfect copy of anyone. A lot smarter than he looks too. He can even disarm lightning protection and rewire a whole power plant into a massive lightning rod. Makes for some decent sabotage, don't you think?" When the conversation was left dangling in silence, Kabuto glanced to the ground again. "I really am no good at being stared at, Naruto-kun."

At that moment, chakra returned to him. Naruto shuddered and Kabuto did not miss it. He blinked at the blond with concern.

"Was that other clone of yours killed?"

Stabbed in the back. Naruto's jaw was hurting now but he ground his teeth anyway. "You and your buddies put up a barrier."

"Hm." Kabuto chuckled. "The Uchiha district really is too far from the main village, isn't it? Right at the edge. If something were to happen here - well I suppose the Uchiha were more than capable of fending for themselves until help arrived." Naruto's eyes widened a millimeter. Kabuto's smile widened at the reaction. "My barrier's a masterpiece, a chimera of more villages and kekkei genkai than even you and Jiraiya-sama have encountered. No one can see us, hear us; it's almost like we're in another dimension. And we're so far from the central village that a little shaking will hardly be noticed."

A transparent ceiling shimmered red over their heads. Naruto's stomach clenched and became hollow. "I wanted our conversation to be private, Naruto-kun. So I did my best to ensure no interruptions. But for you to just waltz in here on your own, it seems Lady Luck smiled on me with that one!"

Swallowing, Naruto for the first time truly understood his situation. He was alone. He had no comrades or hopes of finding one. His enemy had sealed the environment, taken a hostage and disposed of one of who-knows-how-many allies on a whim.

The guy was insane. And Naruto had no hope to wait on.

"Why did you kill him?" he licked the sweat on his upper lip and gestured to the white puddle.

"Why?" Kabuto asked coyly. "As a favour to you and Konoha. Akatsuki would have gotten some very sensitive information if I hadn't killed him. So now, you owe me some information, Naruto-kun."

"I don't owe you –!"

"Now, now," he pointed to the book lying untouched at the blonde's feet. "I repaid my first gratitude to you by giving you that book. Killing the spy was a favour. You _owe_ me."

"Go to –!"

"_Identity_, Naruto-kun. All I'm asking for is your opinion. More advice really, inspirational words about life and self, you can even make a speech if you want. It's right up your alley. Tell me how Sasuke-kun, who has lost memory, power, and even his own _body_! – tell me how someone so pathetic can still hold on to a sense of self!"

He shook Sasuke, who hung in his grip like a dead cat. "Your words are the only ones I can listen to Naruto-kun, the only ones with weight. What you say is important, so even though I've done you this favour," he threw an understated gesture to the ally he had slaughtered, "I will still be in your debt. That's not bad at all now, is it Naruto-kun? All you have to do is talk and I'll owe you a favour. What deal could be better than that?"

"Heh." Naruto hated waiting anyway. "I'll pass."

From the trees above Kabuto's head a true shadow clone fell, wielding a Rasengan with lethal purpose.

Kabuto sidestepped, letting the double crash into the ground. "Now Naruto-ku –" Five steel claws ripped his face open, splitting skin and gouging flesh. Screaming outrage and pain, Kabuto pressed a glowing palm tightly to his face.

Sasuke writhed with all his might and fell out of the spy's loosened grip. Snarling, Kabuto grabbed for his hostage.

Luminous hands snatched Sasuke out of his reach. He tried to pull back but a glowing knee smashed into his face, breaking glasses, nose, and a few teeth. He flew through two tombstones before slamming to a stop at the base of a large marble slab, his impact cratering the decades-old marker.

Dizzy from his flight, nauseous with pain, Kabuto opened his eyes. The world was dark fuzz but the three glowing beings in front of him were unmistakable. One of them, carrying a small body, was about to run off.

"Wait," he said through chipped and bloodied teeth that were already reforming. Orochimaru's vitality was nothing to scoff at. "Leaving stho sthoon? Our discusthion isth not over."

"It's over." A distinct hum. Another of those unique Rasengans. Even healing himself beforehand, an action that had saved him from a concussion, would not be enough.

He grinned. "Impressive power. Are you preparing such a technique for Itachi-san?"

The three figures froze. Kabuto grinned. He had already healed himself enough to get on his knees. "A pity it will all go to waste. I'm afraid those you trust are lying to you about him."

"What do you mean?"

"I only wish to speak to the original."

Naruto snorted. He pushed off the earth, cracking it, and was at Kabuto in a yellow blur. Chakra-steeled fingers grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground as though he weighed nothing. The clone behind him dashed into the trees with a loudly hissing Sasuke. The third clone stood by, ready to react to the slightest twinge of chakra.

"Here, you've got the original. Talk." Kabuto choked and smiled with bloody teeth. Naruto tightened his grip.

Kabuto gurgled blood. "Perhaps… to set a new path in motion." He dislocated the vertebra in his neck; his head dropped to the side, flat eyes glaring through shattered lenses and warped metal frames.

"Itachi-san is dying. The illness is unknown and currently incurable. Right this second, he is either taking his last breath, or stretching his life out by another day. But giving him a week left on this earth would be generous."

Naruto's grip did not waver. Neither did his eyes. "You're lying." His voice held no doubt. Behind him, his clone cloned itself and prepared a Rasengan.

"You were told to come late to that meeting, remember Naruto-kun?" Kabuto flung his hand back to gesture vaguely at the white sludge behind him. "He was there when Jiraiya kindly asked all of your friends to lie to you about Itachi."

Naruto half-blinked. "Ero-sennin wouldn't…"

Kabuto pushed on. "That mission you were banned from, you know your dear friend Sakura-san met Itachi, right?" Naruto's eyes widened. Kabuto's body wriggled, loose and wormy, and a small piece of stolen intel slipped out of his cloak. Naruto's clone stared at the folder for him.

"Sakura-chan." There was no doubt. Even in the darkness, even through his clone's eyes, Naruto knew it was her handwriting. Neat but thick lines. She always pressed too hard with her pen.

"She treated him on-site." Naruto blinked that time. Kabuto's eyes widened theatrically, his dislocated vertebrae jostling together like Shogi tiles. "No one told you? And she wrote such an excellent report too, so comprehensive if a bit loquacious. She gave him two weeks. How long has it been since that mission?"

"Shut up." Naruto's smile was roughly hewn, its corners trembling. "If you know so much, Baa-chan will get it all out of you."

Kabuto's mismatched eyes stared at him with identical wonder. "Are you… really that naïve, Naruto-kun? How did you survive this long as a ninja with that kind of attitude?" Naruto met his sideways gaze with rising rage.

"Don't _call me_ –"

"You still trust her after she let Danzō take your place?" And there was pity in Kabuto's gaze. "You really don't understand it still? You still don't see the real Konoha?"

Naruto's fists tightened and he shook the grinning bastard. "I see it perfectly!"

"What's decided as best for the village won't always be right, Naruto-kun." Naruto choked on his comeback. "She let your friends and mentor lie to you. She let Danzō take your mission. Even after she gains all the information from my little mind," he smiled. His tongue slipped out; an engorged muscle flopping wet with saliva. It swept over his jaws and chin before receding. "You won't be allowed to know half of it."

"You're lying!"

"And the other half will be warped. You'll be led with lies like a fool, just like always."

"I said _shut_ –" Chakra slammed into Naruto's back. His clones stiffened. The chakra was his, but it hit him hard, like it had been racing to reach him. Kabuto's face disappeared into grainy fog, and a vision overtook Naruto's mind.

"_Oh shi – NO_!" _Cold steel ripped his back open; before he disappeared into a bolt of chakra, he threw Sasuke as far away from him as he could._ "_RUN! DON'T LET THEM –!_"

Kabuto was laughing. The graininess dissolved, bringing the cackling face into stark clarity. Naruto's knees trembled, more images were coming.

"What are they?" His clone had been faster, _stronger_ than the one before it. He shook Kabuto, bringing the gleeful face closer. "What did you do?!"

The second clone, standing close to the pyre, died with a scream. The third swung his Rasengan into the darkness and had his neck broken for it.

"Naruto?" a tiny, breathless voice.

"I said run!" Naruto did not know what he was shouting. He did not know what these things were; cold shots of chakra biting into the Kyūbi's.

"Narut –"

"Run! Find Baa-chan, find anyone and tell them what's going on!" Tightening his grip, he slammed Kabuto into the earth hard enough to crack it and straddled him, pinning his arms under his knees. "I'll hold Kabuto here! Go, now!"

Sasuke jetted off, a black blur disappearing into the darkness. And a hissing white stream weaved through the tombstones after him. Naruto moved in an instant, pushing off the earth with cratering force. Twelve hands, sixty steel-grip fingers slammed him to a stop, shoving him face-down into the grave dirt. The snake's head reared up.

Sasuke screamed terror that split Naruto's mind. The snake lunged. All was silent. Slowly, the serpent reared again. A black tail dangled limply out of its mouth. The serpent aimed its nostrils to the sky and the tail disappeared into its throat, following the throbbing mass that slid down into its stomach.

Naruto _screamed_. Sixty chakra-strong fingers were broken. And Kabuto's face was ground to powder by an oversized Rasengan, as the snake that ate Sasuke slithered back into his sleeve.

* * *

_It was fascinating_.

Kabuto ripped the remnants of his jaws apart and a new body slick with juices leaped from his throat. Before his torso cleared his tonsils, Naruto was on him, aiming another Rasengan at the sleeve housing the snake. Kabuto made a single seal and Naruto received a shattering roundhouse to his side, pelting him through three tombstones. But these were small and thin: Naruto skidded across the ground and rolled to his knees, disoriented but not crippled.

Kabuto's body hit the ground, reeling slightly from the chakra drain. Naruto shook himself off and launched, another Rasengan whirling. Another body stepped into his path: Naruto met its gaze and stopped cold, lost instantly in a dream. Kabuto slipped on a spare pair of glasses, snatched the warped and empty metal frames from the melting husk with no face and gently stowed them in his cloak with a trembling hand. Inhale. Exhale. They weren't gone. He'd fix them later.

And now that the world was not a blur, Kabuto observed his frozen adversary.

It was _fascinating_. Naruto was wearing chakra in a way he had never seen, a skin-thin layer of gold. It moved over him like water reflections, rippling his hair and clothes and turning his slit-pupiled eyes orange. And this chakra-skin was nothing like the wild, burning miasma he had faced on Tenchi Bridge. Warm, full of life and _controlled_ – its healing properties alone would make the wearer near invincible.

But it was not battle-ready. If his hypothesis was right, this technique was far from its true potential. Still, this fell within his plans. The experiments he had stowed away to await his command, the barrier he had activated to contain any problems that might arise: if not for his foresight, he would have lost the moment Naruto grabbed him.

In the three seconds that Kabuto analysed, Naruto awoke from his dream and promptly shattered the genjutsu caster's jaw with a savage uppercut, smashing the man's teeth into a thousand fractures and launching him several feet skyward. Kabuto vaguely noted that even Tsunade would not ridicule this level of strength. He longed to experiment, to prod and investigate all the unknown mysteries of the chakra-skin. But greed would not serve him now. He already had one experiment going. And…

Spectacled eyes glanced at the sealed tomb, where the true prizes were kept. He had assumed he had more time. He never thought Naruto would come here on his own. And now, because of greed, all variables were out of his control.

* * *

In the dark streets of Konoha, a boy and girl walked hand-in-hand. Their steps were hurried as they ducked into darker places, finally escaping the light of the moon altogether. They continued their journey into Konoha's underground, among roots blacker than ink.

The boy blinked, eyes struggling to adjust to darkness that was unfamiliar even to him. The girl led him flawlessly to depths she knew too well.

The boy finally broke the silence. "I did not know you were a sensory ninja."

"I am an experiment," was the too-honest reply. "My blood was tested and changed many times to compliment my abilities. When my blood is near to an activated seal, it resonates back to me. There are vials of my blood buried all over Konoha."

The boy felt something cold and prickling run down his spine. He did not know that spiders lived this deep underground.

"And this seal?"

"Many seals. They create a barrier. A strange one, powered by Konoha chakra, but not Konoha style."

"It's foreign?"

"Yes. The seals are alien. No one in this village can make a barrier like this."

"We should tell the Hokage."

"No. The map comes first. The resonation is very unpleasant until I find out where it's coming from. I almost vomited three times on the way here. If I wait too long, I will pass out." And beneath the emotionless drone of her voice was a queasy underscore.

The boy left it at that. "What kind of barrier is this?"

"Its strongest trait is invisibility based on Hidden Mist techniques. Blocks sound, jutsu, physical attacks and chakra signatures: specialties of many different clans and villages. Does not disguise scent well, does not hide vibration at all, so it might be near the village borders. Does not extend very far underground, so it is fairly easy to infiltrate once found. Its form is masked with Konoha chakra to further deflect suspicion from sensors or Byakugan users."

"Not blocking scent is a fatal weakness. Dog Breath would have smelled something weird."

"Dog Breath's nose is affected by big lightning strikes. It's true for the entire clan."

"Sabotage. The barrier user has a partner."

"Yes."

"Then this is best. If it hasn't been detected by now, it's useless to go to the Hokage without a location."

"Yes."

"Then we'll go after you find it."

"No, you will go. After I find it, I must try to destroy it. This barrier is a trap. And I believe someone is already trapped within it."

* * *

"KABUTO!"

Naruto shot forward, weaving through the enemies' grasps with the ease of a jōnin dodging genin. He grabbed Kabuto's arm and crushed bone with one squeeze.

Kabuto smiled. Naruto snarled, feeling the broken bones jostle freely as he yanked the man forward.

"Give. Him. _Back_."

"That's one thing I cannot do. Sasuke-kun is now the most unique and fascinating specimen on the planet. I cannot fulfil Orochimaru-sama's dream of acquiring all the world's knowledge if I do not study him thoroughly."

Naruto's eyes went blank. Kabuto barely twitched before the Jinchūriki's forehead smashed into his own, rattling his brain against the walls of his skull. White claimed him despite the healing chakra he had already released.

When he awoke a second later, Naruto was sitting on his arm, a Rasengan poised to amputate it at the shoulder. Kabuto's other hand made a seal, calling on one of his pawns. Naruto ducked under the knee aimed for his skull, not even sparing the passing limb a glance. His eyes, lightless and beyond humanity, never left his target. His Rasengan drilled into the arm, shearing flesh and grinding bone.

Without choice, Kabuto made a final seal and his arm collapsed into a writhing nest of white snakes. They slipped around Naruto's knees and swam out of the cloak in a wriggling stream, gliding towards the silent pawns that surrounded them.

Naruto scrambled after them, his reason long lost. The few he caught popped in his hand, white slime dripping through his fingers. Without pause, he smashed them all with an oversized Rasengan, his overpower shattering the ground and twisting his wrist.

The snakes' heads survived. Out of their mouths new heads breached, and slime-slicked bodies glided on at twice the speed to them whose bodies were not their own.

Their hair blended with the black morning, cracks marred their grey skin, and against slate sclera their Sharingan glowed. They were unsmiling, the hollow muscles in their faces utterly still. They did nothing as the snakes wound up their legs, defying Naruto's broken stare, and sank overlong fangs into the backs of their necks.

Kabuto's control receded and their wills returned to them. Their skin lightened to pre-death pallor and the cracks softly hissed as they shrunk away. Lights flickered on in the corpses' eyes, their Sharingan glowed anew, and most of them blinked as though awakening from a long sleep. They quickly found the glowing boy in the darkness, who gazed back at them, empty.

"You're… the Jinchūriki," stated one of them with slate hair shoved to one side like Kakashi's. His eyes were squinting lines, painted red. His tone was neutral, neither disgusted nor impressed, but Naruto still jumped a little at being addressed. The snake on his shoulder, like all the rest, dropped to the ground before it was noticed and wriggled back to its master.

"Ah!" a plump woman blinked her small eyes, barely visible Sharingan whirling. "He is! But he was only a child when I saw him last, no bigger than Sasuke."

Naruto gaped at her, breathing uneven. She glanced away, offended by his rudeness.

"Apparently, some time has passed," said yet another with a black dot on his forehead, stolidly observing the exchange. "Shisui's ancestor described this in his scrolls. This is the Second Hokage's jutsu, Edo Tensei." He looked around, eyes lingering on the two tombstones Kabuto broke with his back. His Sharingan narrowed, but did not deign to look at the little snake grinning in the dirt.

"Did you do this?"

The snake's grin stretched as he replaced his hood. "Shy types like me don't take to such bold recognition. I am merely a spectator, you are more than free to do as you please."

"We do not need your permission, insect." Kabuto politely slunk back, melting seamlessly into the darkness. The Uchiha turned to Naruto, the worthier of the two living. His crimson gaze moved lazily over the blond, taking in his supernatural appearance with practiced apathy. "Tell me, child. Our graveyard still stands, but what of the village?"

Naruto choked, the words bulging in his throat, refusing to come out. "The – the –" Blinking too much; he had never looked into so many Sharingan at one time before. "K-Konoha's fine…" His eyes darted to Kabuto, who was taking a chakra-gloved palm from his shoulder. A new arm was there, pale but whole. It was forever beyond Naruto how his arm regenerated, or maybe it had never left, never slithered away as a den of snakes. Kabuto glanced at him, blinked, frowned and backed further into the shadows. "K-Konoha's fine," Naruto turned back to the standing dead, "but – but you're Sasuke's –"

"So Konoha's still standing." The man _hissed_. Naruto choked silently.

"S-standing? Why wouldn't it be standing?"

Silence answered him, thick and ominous. It blocked his air; he inhaled forcefully and made to speak again when something worse than dead noise overrode his senses. **Hate**. Hate so acid it burned his nostrils, hate so thick it weighed on the Kyūbi's chakra, growing slabs of ice. Their eyes glared; black and crimson whirling violently.

"Hhaesh weaewing zhe Koobi's sshakra." Slurred and distorted words snapped Naruto's attention to the regenerative mechanics of Edo Tensei. The genjutsu caster regained his feet, mouth filled with unbroken teeth. Bits of old parchment leaped from his skin as, with one violent motion, he snapped his jaw back into place.

_Uchiha_, his mind repeated stupidly. The Kyūbi's chakra quietly reattached the ligaments in his wrist, though Naruto had yet to notice he was damaged. _They're all Uchiha._

The man looked at him, dark amusement in his pinwheel eyes. "You've been mistreated by this village. I know." He smiled with a mockery of kindness. His eyes were too sharp, glaring through pointed bangs that framed his face. And he, like the rest of them, reeked of death. "Come with us. We'll help you."

"H-help me?"

"We'll help you do what you and the Kyūbi have always wanted. Together we will break free of the shackles this village has placed on us."

"Sh - sha…" His wrist popped. Naruto felt nothing.

"We will burn away Konoha's tyrannies, overturn the ridicule and disrespect we have endured, and restore our clan's rightful place in this world. We have suffered alike. So let us fight against the enslavement of this village together." The man held out his hand, an offering of unity. "Now come. Join us."

So concluded Naruto's very first meeting with the Uchiha clan.

And with that, Naruto's reality shattered.

* * *

The Uchiha clan is dead.

Those words meant nothing when Naruto first heard them. He felt no sorrow, no fear, no loathing. Ichiraku's still gave him free ramen, Sakura-chan was still the prettiest girl in the village. And he still wanted to be Hokage. So nothing had changed. If anything, the Uchiha clan's death had opened the door to his first bond. If anything, he had been happy that there was someone else in the village who finally understood his pain.

But he had been a kid then. A stupid and desperate child that did not know – did not _understand_ the crimson dyes that would forever paint the colours of his first bond. But Naruto did not stay a child. When he heard it again as a genin, and a dying Sasuke asked him to carry on the torch of his vengeance, Naruto's heart had _burned_ and the Kyūbi in him awoke, releasing crimson hatred into the world for the first time in over a decade.

And now, what did these past few weeks with a helpless Sasuke do but illuminate the cruel and complete meaning of 'the Uchiha clan is _dead_'?

The Uchiha clan must be avenged. The Uchiha clan deserved justice.

So somewhere along the line, or at the very beginning, was it not assumed that the Uchiha clan was _good_? Was it not this that gave Sasuke's vengeance _worth_? Was it not this that made Itachi such an irredeemable monster, fit to die by the wickedest tortures Sasuke's mind could conceive?

The Uchiha clan was good. What Itachi did to them, it was _evil_ to think, to even _consider_ that they might have –

_Burn away Konoha's tyrannies._

Deserved it.

_No_. Naruto rapidly picked up the shattered pieces of his reality. He had to reform it, reshape it, quickly. They were innocent – he could reason with them.

They would not listen. Their eyes, glowing over-bright in the dark day, scorned him. Their words mocked him. Fool! That he would defend the village that hated him. Where even loving parents would glare at a blond baby and wish for its death.

"No! The village isn't like that now! A lot of people …" Naruto shut his mouth. Something in him reared up, remembering old days, and a matching streak of hate ran crimson through his golden chakra skin.

"See?" sharp eyes gleamed, "You are on our side."

Naruto bit his lip and the crimson streak faded. He could not mention the village. But if not home, what else could get through to such a battle-hardened clan –?

"Sasuke!" Bingo. Their gazes morphed from spilt blood to blooming roses. "Sasuke was treated really well in the village," Naruto spurred on. "After you were gone, Sasuke was loved by everyone. He was never hungry, or cold, or sick, or in want of anything. Everyone watched out for him and protected him. He was," Naruto gulped down a mouthful of stale jealousy, "precious to Konoha. He still is. He's the most precious person in the world to me."

It would take Naruto many days to figure out just how he went so wrong in that speech. The rose petals withered and dropped, leaving nothing but thorns dripping poison. The Uchiha had turned from malevolent to **murderous** and Naruto could not figure out why.

"Konoha's _pet_…" the genjutsu caster hissed, his fang-like bangs biting into parchment cheeks.

"Precious child of Konoha," the plump woman, the kind aunt of the Uchiha, spat her words like venom, her decayed cheeks shaking. "Oh, I hope Sasuke-chan wasn't fooled. He is a pureblood Uchiha, he must never forget his pride!"

"Right," the one with Kakashi's hair spoke, "he will carry on his clan's will." He blinked, squinting eyes barely moving. "Boy," he turned to Naruto, "is Sasuke here in this village?"

Naruto stared at the man. Somewhere in his gut, his reality broke again, and the shards were piercing him.

"Sasuke… left," relics of soul and life formed the words Naruto spoke now, "he left… he went to Orochimaru for power… to get revenge on Itachi… but…"

"Orochimaru."

"…but he killed…"

"Well, he wouldn't have been my first choice."

The shards dug in deeper. Naruto's heart was scooped out, leaving that place empty. He knew this feeling. He had felt it the first and last time he met Danzō.

"But at least Sasuke left this goddamned village." The genjutsu caster spat; it fell near none of the graves. "And he went to someone who wouldn't exculpate the place like the rest of mindless sheep."

Naruto did not need to understand the words the man used. More ice, more hatred smashed against his chakra-skin, cold blows biting small holes into the Kyūbi's power.

Satisfied with what they heard about Sasuke, the Uchiha turned to leave the cemetery – in the direction of the sleeping Konoha.

"_Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_." The whisper birthed a hundred Narutos; they easily outnumbered the reincarnated abominations and surrounded them, blocking their exit through the gates, over the fence, and in the trees. The glow from their bodies lit up the cemetery in a facsimile of day, as the light from the pyre finally flickered out.

"Hey," the real Naruto spoke in a low voice, "I can't let you go to the village." Red eyes scanned the clones' formation, looking for weaknesses. Naruto's chest shuddered. "Is Kabuto making you target Konoha?" One small hope.

"Him?!" Naruto did not see the violent motion thrown towards the figure smirking in the dark. He did not need to. "Could _he_ ever command an Uchiha? Konoha will fall by our own will. We seek our own justice and restore our own pride."

"We'll have to fight then," Naruto almost managed to sound light-hearted. "I don't want to do it here though –" Surges of adrenaline and assured victory brushed his sides like slipstreams. Naruto raised his arm, wrist healed enough. Two clones raised theirs.

Several dead hands weaved together, chakra moulding in empty chests.

A Rasenshuriken was spinning in Naruto's palm, created faster than he had ever done before. He raised his head. In the yellow chakra-light, the Sharingan saw clearly the tears flowing over Naruto's smile.

"This is the last place of memories Sasuke has left. I didn't want to destroy it. But if you don't care about it…" The Uchiha blew – Naruto threw the windmill of chakra. He had no inkling if he could or could not, he just threw and it sailed smoothly from his hand like its metal counterpart.

His tears stopped flowing, and his smile was gone.

"I guess I have no choice."

* * *

The graveyard exploded.

Born from the abominable union of a Rasenshuriken, a dozen fire jutsu and twice the amount of exploding kunai, the blast breached in a roar of destruction and unstoppable power. Black billows of smoke and earth surged upwards, pierced by red fire and screeching with uncountable chakra needles. It climbed hundreds of meters in fractions of seconds and would have exceeded that to eclipse the sky and rain burnt chakra and ash over all of Konoha. But a barrier dome revealed itself, tinting the sky red, and the deflagration crashed into its underside, spreading clouds of steam and vaporised earth and filling the small biome with toxic smoke and premature fallout.

Naruto _flew_. Deaf from the blast of sound, thrown by supersonic pressure, his body jetted with the speed of cannon fire through the wall fencing the graveyard. The seven or so inches of brick, stone, mortar and protective jutsu did not slow his flight into the forest. He crashed through two trees, dug sizeable chunks out of another seven and shattered anything else that came into fatal impact with him for over a kilometre until, with all of gravity's force, Naruto smashed into the ground neck-first, bounced, crashed again on his shoulder, bounced again, and finally skidded face-first for a few meters before coming to a stop.

Figuring the lack of pain must mean he was dead or close to it, he opened his eyes and found himself in one of the Uchiha's old training fields; facing that damn kunai stuck perpendicularly into the worst located target Naruto had ever seen.

"What kinda crazy throw…?" Naruto froze. He really was dead. How else could he talk with a broken neck? Swallowing bile (wasn't that impossible too?) Naruto mentally checked his body. His eyes widened in horror.

He was all right. Cuts, scrapes and bruises instead of broken bones. A burning spine instead of a shattered one. A throbbing headache instead of a concussion. Numb ears and a nasty crick in his neck instead of instant death. He was still alive. He was still _conscious_. It could only mean one thing.

"Damn, that Edo Tension thing is contagious," he muttered, only just registering that he was not deaf anymore.

As his superficial wounds began to heal, he got to his knees and stared at his glowing hands. There were no bits of parchment flying around filling in his wounds. Just the Kyūbi's chakra, golden water flowing ceaselessly around his body, healing him, _protecting_ him. Protecting him without hurting him itself. This was what it meant to control it.

"This is the real deal," he muttered, almost able to laugh. The memory of Sasuke getting eaten quickly killed that urge.

"_Kabuto_." A sixth sense not quite as developed as Jiraiya's prickled in Naruto's gut – he looked up through the smoky haze and softly raining ash, expecting a glimpse of the grinning snake. The incoming projectile was not his enemy but the Uchiha's memorial obelisk: having escaped obliteration it sang through the air and right for Naruto's head with skull-cracking speed. Wincing, he quickly back-flipped, aiming for the top of the boulder that sat in the middle of the field.

And while in mid-air, feet to the sky and head to the ground, he felt it. A precise bolt of ice racing down his spine. He did not know how he knew what it was. He did not know _how_ he knew it was bad.

But he knew, and that was enough. He stuck out his leg and terminated the backflip, opting to shove as hard as he could off the boulder. Its surface cratered, cracks spreading for all of a nanosecond before the entire rock shattered under a blazing fist. The blistering flames licked Naruto's chakra-skin and he felt their heat. He did not look, only spun with a massive heave of his body, swinging his leg around until it made contact with the falling memorial. The obelisk cracked but did not shatter, and he kicked it straight at the fire's core.

The explosion's force, amplified by Naruto's kick, sent the obelisk towards the Edo Tensei with such power that it smashed the Uchiha's face flat, blew out the back of his skull, and snapped his neck clean in two. There was no blood, no gore, just endless bits of grey parchment rushing to mend shattered bone and cover the gaping holes.

That was all Naruto saw as the animated corpse flew back into the ashy haze. It was thick, this fog; the Kyūbi's chakra blocked tiny particles from nestling in his eyes but visibility was failing. He quickly lost track of the headless Uchiha and the shattered boulder. He could not even hear the sound of rustling parchment. The loss of two senses disoriented him, and he almost stumbled and fell over the kunai that was stuck perpendicularly – _oh fine_! He reached down and gave it a few good yanks until it was out of the ground and securely in his grip.

It hardly helped. The fog, dark grey against black, warm but without comfort, smothered him from all sides. He pocketed his dull weapon and kept moving back; if he went in one direction, he would eventually make it out. It was just a smokescreen anyway –

**Click**.

Teeth biting, a spark igniting.

_Konohamaru_. That was all he could afford, a fraction of thought in a fraction of time. He _leaped_ and the bed of fire roared to life beneath him, claiming everything beneath his knees. Naruto _screamed_.

'_Naruto-niichan! Look at this – Asuma-ojichan showed it to me! It's a cool new fire jutsu – _Haisekishō_. See you blow out ash like this and then you light it and the whole place explodes and – well – I can't get it to go that far yet, but when I do I'll show you, promise!'_

Crippled, a golden body fell to the ground, only meters away from the burning ash cloud. His legs were smoking; the Kyūbi's chakra had protected his flesh but his skin was red, raised and shining in the firelight. With a twisted expression, Naruto tried to move one of his feet and bit down a scream as a few blisters popped. Three pairs of hands touched down on the earth around him.

"_Uchiha Kaenjin_!" And Naruto was trapped. A crimson ring burned itself into the grass and shot skywards, almost as tall as Kabuto's barrier.

Naruto's legs hissed as they healed; careful not to move them again, he balanced on his elbows. A wall of solid fire encircled him, burning even the air that tried to get to him. The three Uchiha crouched on the outside stared at him for a moment, Sharingan swirling.

"That should do," said one.

"Even when his legs heal, he can't get out of the summoner's barrier," agreed another.

"Right," the third one stood. "Then, to Konoha."

Naruto roared. "_I said_ –!"

"NO!" The shout was almost lost in the screech of four spinning wind blades.

"Another one!"

"Fool! If that hits –!"

It hit; the second Rasenshuriken of the battle slammed into the barrier and rapidly expanded on its outer wall. Uncountable needles pierced the barrier's chakra, undermining its structure. But a worse reaction followed. With a great shudder the flame-infused walls collapsed, abandoning their form to feed on the fresh wind chakra, an irresistible siren call.

In less than a minute the barrier completely disintegrated and a horrified Naruto faced a miniature sun; a swirling, roaring amalgamation of fire and wind that could not be contained. The fire swelled, Naruto's heartbeat stuttered as he crawled back, too terrified to even scream.

A weight descended fatally on his back, stopping his futile retreat.

"Sorry about that, boss." Several dozen bodies followed the first, crushing Naruto to the earth.

The sun detonated.

* * *

It was ironic that the first clone to offer its life for his was the only one that survived.

Gone. His army. Every last one. Gone.

The Edo Tenseis died, their second passing certainly more grandiose than what Itachi had given them. Naruto felt the earth tremble as something heavy, and dead, fell near him. He peeked out from under his clone's armpit, but all that greeted him was a mass of black flesh cooking in a sea of flames.

"Bastard's dead. Good," the clone muttered. Its voice sounded strange, like there was ash in its throat. There probably was. "He was coming for you, boss. That snake; he was gonna come at you from underground and eat you. You… gotta be careful… Kabuto…"

"Hey. Are you oka –" Naruto froze.

It was a terrible explosion, family to the first. The earth was newly devastated; heat, ash and soil riding on terrific masses of gas and pressure to scar the Uchiha's land a second time. The ground, the trees, all that had escaped the wrath of the first explosion now burned. The air shimmered with heat, the dome's underside coated with a new layer of smoke and fallout. Naruto was dripping sweat, choking on the stifling air. Two explosions, the endless fires, there really was little air to go around now.

But he barely noticed. He looked into his own face, reminiscent of Pain's, disfigured and eaten away by flame. The flesh around its left eye was gone, leaving scorched edges around an exposed eyeball. Its throat was melted, just a bit, the skin shifting slightly out of place.

"Hey boss… this is kinda bad isn't it?" Naruto could not speak. His legs were almost healed. Other than that, he was fine. "Kabuto's… strong. The Uchiha… are stronger." Naruto blinked tightly, listening to his subconscious speak through his clone's body. "We got… our priorities mixed up. Find Kabuto… save Sasuke… get out of this hell –" The clone choked; its body jerked and it grasped and scratched at its melted throat, pulling at an invisible noose. Its eyes bulged, matching in size, risen blood vessels weaving red and blue against white sclera. The rolling gaze suddenly locked on Naruto. "Urrr…brrrg…" With the last of its strength it pointed left, somewhere in the burning deathscape.

Then its neck snapped, its arm dropped, and its head lolled grotesquely, eyes still on Naruto before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto stared at the spot, numb. He had played games with his clones before; cards, hide-and-seek though the latter was pointless – he always knew where he was hiding. He had 'spoken' to them, though it was more right to say he had talked to himself and gotten an answer. But that one… was it the Kyūbi's chakra?

Naruto was still for a half-moment, then dived out of the way of an exploding kunai and disappeared into the flames.

Half a second later, a new army of golden Narutos exploded from the inferno, streaking flames behind them.

* * *

**A/N: Please enjoy part 1 of a special double update. Major thanks to my beta Ser Serendipity for smoothing out the bumps.**

**See you all soon!**


	19. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"It's authorised?" Sai blinked twice, once more than he needed to. He was shocked, and somewhere along the way Tsunade had learned how to read him. So she repeated herself and slid a stack of documents across the table. Sai bowed and picked up the first sheet.

"All the paperwork was done and brought to the Barrier Team. Stamps and signatures all in place."

"But that's..." Sai's shoulders lowered and he gently replaced the sheet to the top of the stack. He frowned. It took Hokage and advisor a few moments before they registered that fact, but there it was – a real frown.

"I believe I am confused, Hokage-sama. And, because I am confused, I think I am also angry." He looked at them. "Something is very wrong. Tori would not act like this if something was not wrong."

The two adults shared a glance. "Sai, remember that Tori was part of Root. When Danzō was alive, as a secondary power he would have gotten this information to prevent any misunderstandings. With that link gone, I think Tori might have made a mistake here."

It made sense. Perfect sense. But Sai could not accept it.

"The barrier does not disguise scents well, so the lightning strike was deliberate sabotage to the noses of the Inuzuka clan. If that's true then the barrier user has an accomplice that could have forged the documents. She also said that the seals used to create the barrier were not of Konoha."

"How would she know that?" Sai hesitated for half a second before telling them everything, and gazed at their reaction. Pale skin usually meant someone had fallen ill. But, since he saw no fungus, mould, ill-prepared fish or any other things around to make one ill, he was a bit confused as to why the complexions of the two before him briefly matched his own.

Sai moved on, making a mental note to research emotionally induced skin conditions later. "After she told me about the experiments and her blood, I stopped distrusting her. Too many things are strange. She says something is wrong, and I feel that I must stand by her side as her comrade."

Tsunade studied his face for two seconds. "Han!" An Anbu appeared before her, leaping down from nowhere.

"Go check with the Barrier Team concerning this." She gave him the documents.

"Hai!" He was gone.

"Where's Tori?"

"After she found the barrier's location, she went there to destroy it." Sai looked up, past Tsunade's angered eyes, to a pinpoint star approaching in the distance.

"She can't just decide that on her own! What if she really is mistaken? Why didn't you bring her here?"

"I tried." Sai squinted. The star was getting close. "She was adamant. And she outran me." Was that star _green_? "The underground roots are quicker than the sky. I thought it was better to come to you than waste time arguing – duck."

And Sai dropped to the floor. The two stared at him – their sixth sense activated simultaneously – and the office was torn apart by a hurricane.

* * *

_More chakra._

Two hands, glowing bright enough to ignite, slammed into burnt earth. With his back arched, Naruto coiled his body and aimed his legs. Two Uchiha on his right preparing fire jutsu. Two on his left threading weapons along invisible wire. One in front of him drawing a sword edged in blue flames. One behind him, in perfect position.

The Uchiha shifted into their final stages of preparation. Naruto smirked and launched off the ground, cracking it. The chin of the fool behind him was blown clean off. Naruto's kick sent his body skyward with the roar of thunder, and the pressure wave spread from the point of contact was felt by every Uchiha there.

Their Sharingan spun. The fool had seen it coming and sacrificed himself for this moment. The moment where Naruto would be suspended in mid-air, unable to dodge. Blue flames swung nimbly towards his neck, a swift and efficient execution.

_I need more you damn fox!_

The chakra skin ignited, golden water congealed into molten lava and flames danced along Naruto's form. The air grew thick and the Uchiha slowed; the sword's approach turned heavy and lethargic. Oppositely, Naruto felt light enough to float.

His army was supposed to be a thousand strong. But the golden chakra restrained him, refusing to be shared among a thousand. Nor a hundred. Not even half of that. Forty seven. That was the count of his new army and a display of weakness the Uchiha no doubt had already catalogued. And there was more fortune for the zombie clan. The Kyūbi's chakra could barely stretch itself among even that pitiful number, thus the rations were not even. Some clones had more Bijuu chakra than others, and the ones born unlucky were miserably slaughtered. Six had already been gutted. But despite their handicap, they got to play with a technique that Naruto was ready to try for himself.

Sparks flew from the collision of fire and chakra; Naruto grabbed the coming sword barehanded and pulled its wielder forward. Golden chakra flesh grew from his back, a clawed hand clenched into a fist. With a surge of will it shot out and buried solid knuckles into the stunned Uchiha's face.

Abominably hot fire bloomed on his right, uncaring for the frantic rustling of old parchment that tried to reconstruct their comrade's obliterated visage. Naruto's will flared: another arm shot out of his stomach and pushed off the earth, launching him skywards, out of range of the – _were those dragon heads?_ – and into the path of a dozen Fūma Shuriken.

A Rasenshuriken blew past underneath him, picking up flames from the burning land and taking out the four Uchiha in a wild whirl of fire and wind. Still in mid-air, Naruto glimpsed the clones who had created it. Their eyes met for a fraction of time; then his copies leaped into the path of three more Uchiha, engaging them in fierce taijutsu before they could aid their fallen comrades.

But none of the four Uchiha who sailed across the land trapped between burning wind blades were controlling the floating Fūma. Naruto grit his teeth, found ground with the chakra arm again and shoved off it, pushing himself higher. The Rasenshuriken expanded half a kilometre away, decimating another half-acre of Uchiha land.

Naruto spun, using leverage from his chakra arm to face the onslaught of metal stars. Four sword-edged blades to each Fūma. And sheathing each blade was a superfine layer of wind chakra.

_Uchiha with wind techniques. That's… kind of bad._

Naruto swung his human arm and the Kyūbi's chakra extended to knock the shuriken out of the sky. Twelve wires tugged. The weapons dislocated, sliding apart from their centres with a dozen clanks of steel. Stunned, Naruto faced four dozen free-floating blades.

At the command of wire-thin flashes of light the blades fell, all aiming to take the Jinchūriki's head. And Naruto, with no ground beneath him, could not dodge.

So he grew tails. They loomed from behind him, six chakra arms, each holding a faintly vibrating Rasengan. Naruto had never made ones like these before; the chakra inside the perfect spheres raged, whirling violently in all directions and ramming the round walls that confined it. He thrust his jutsu at the blades to destroy them beyond all use; until the chakra-arms holding them became translucent and buckled like soggy ramen. The spheres swerved and six wild rotations collided.

Naruto's eyes turned white. From where he was hidden, the shuriken user's eyes gave a bemused half-spin. The shockwaves from the Rasengans' clash rang out and jammed the swords' flight path, sending them tumbling out of the sky.

"Ha- haha… That's what I meant to –!" The shuriken blades halted mid-fall and flew for him again, wind chakra singing. The blond, losing the buoyancy from his initial launch, stared skyward as he fell. The hail of steel chased him, aiming to skewer him before he hit the ground. Naruto shut his eyes and brought out a wind Rasengan he had been nurturing. It was time to scratch that frigid itch of hatred that had bothered him since his first chakra arm.

"There!" He aimed for the trees. The Kyūbi's chakra stretched, an elastic shot that split the air. The Uchiha leaped, but the sphere caught his ankle and dug out hollow flesh. The man flopped to the ground and rolled; his blades wavered before tumbling clumsily, hitting the ground around Naruto as dead metal.

Naruto rose to his knees, panting. His golden chakra-suit dimmed, becoming watery exo-skin once more. Gritting his teeth, Naruto grew one last chakra arm, one final wind Rasengan. His opponent's foot, hanging on by a string of ashen flesh, was merely fluttering paper. It was not regenerating, at least not quickly. One more attack would finish him. The arm shot forth –

And a sword alight with chakra chopped it off.

_Behind you_: cool hate raised hackles on the Kyūbi's chakra. Naruto swung blind and his knuckles connected: the enemy behind him tumbled back, rolling several times before coming to his feet. His shadow clone, inches away from running a blade through Naruto's chest, popped into a bolt of chakra.

"Heh." Grey head of hair, squinting red lines for eyes, the Uchiha rubbed his peeling jaw. "I've fought a good number of your clones. My eyes have gotten used to your speed."

Naruto remembered him from his clones. The chakra on his blade, more lethal than blue flames, could slice through his chakra arms with ridiculous ease. Squinting Sharingan gleamed; Naruto gulped gritty saliva and planted his feet in the hot ashes.

"It's juvenile, your technique. Shameful to lose to it, Tekka." Naruto could hear the man dragging himself behind him, cursing his maimed existence. "Rest. You might heal faster."

He pointed his blade at Naruto, who did not miss the opportunity to catch his breath. "Juvenile. A petty fraction of its full potential."

He charged. Naruto froze. There was a rhythm to pre-battle conversation. Even when facing strong opponents and unseen speeds, Naruto usually got a peculiar sensing of when words were done.

But the random manner of speech threw him and Naruto's body remained settled, waiting for the new Uchiha to continue. By the time his legs shifted into a fighter's stance, the blade was at his neck. Naruto threw his torso back: the edge grazed his chin, shaving off a layer of Kyūbi chakra that was quickly replaced.

"My blade cuts this level of chakra easily."

Naruto kicked, aiming for a shattered kneecap. The Uchiha twisted sideways, a flawless dodge that put his leg out of Naruto's reach. From a sheath hidden behind his back he drew another blade, a short sword held in a reverse grip.

Naruto did not see it until it slashed into the chakra protecting his stomach and sliced his flimsy shirt.

"My name is Yashiro. I was killed, shamefully, by a sword half as skilled as mine."

Naruto was barely dodging. Every slash of the short sword, every arc of the longer blade took a bite out of his chakra skin. And the chakra stopped replacing itself.

"Dammit!" Naruto ran, trying to create some distance and give the cuts in his chakra skin more time to heal.

Yashiro _flew_ after him, Sharingan chakra boosting his speed. As had happened so many times during this cursed morning, Naruto was taken back to his battle with Sasuke at the Valley of the End, when Sasuke had suddenly been able to keep up with his Fox Cloak form.

He _knew_ it was coming and dived forward, desperate for an extra inch. It was not enough. The short sword carved fire into his back and Naruto rolled, feeling his first wound of the battle. Blood. Warm and thick. It soaked his back and plastered his clothes. The gash bled as though a vein had been cut.

"The chakra on my blades prevents blood from clotting. Think of it like…" He came again, slashing freely. Frustrated, Naruto pelted left, away from the fire that was quickly spreading.

"…a poison."

Whatever Naruto thought about his speech (he had a few choice words), the man's technique was flawless. Yashiro closed in again, ready to carve an X in Naruto's back. Naruto skidded to a stop, whipped round and lunged with a Rasengan, ready to take out a limb or at least knock a sword away.

The short sword sliced up and cut the Rasengan in two. Its shape lost, the turbulent chakra burst into a spiralling cloud of power that shoved Naruto off balance. His body moved with the force of the backlash; twisting around, he threw his left fist out in a powerful jab.

The other blade was _there_, covering flawlessly for its brother that was still held skyward. In an instant Naruto saw it all: the chakra-shadowed gleam of sharp steel, his fist still _too far_ from the Uchiha's face, the less-than-an-inch gap of air between the blade's edge and his wrist.

'_Punch a sword, lose a hand.'_

Naruto threw himself left, in the direction of the incapacitated hand. The Sharingan spun. The short sword flipped into an ice pick grip and plunged, stabbing Naruto's shoulder to the bone.

'_Your taijutsu can't match a kenjutsu user. Fight blade for blade against them._'

Naruto fell to the ground, gripping his shoulder, feeling blood run over his fingers. Warm red was still flowing down his back, soaking into his pants. The congealing stickiness of it sickened Naruto; until blood loss turned his vision upside down. The sky burned and the blond retched.

'_But Ero-sennin, what if someone like Baa-chan punched a sword?_'

Stand up.

'_Then the sword will break, right?_'

The Kyūbi's chakra moved, covering his back again. It pulsed once to cleanse the wound of foreign chakra; torn flesh hissed as it sealed and the blood flow stopped. Ground and sky returned to their rightful places and Naruto scrambled, _knowing_ the growing patch of hate on his chakra-skin.

"Why do you hate Konoha?" Yashiro had rubbed off on him. The question came from nowhere and the man paused for a fraction of a breath, allowing Naruto to scuttle away as much as the surrounding fire would let him.

"Why… do you have so much hatred?" Naruto chanced a glance around while his opponent straightened. He had not noticed, but the fire had grown. The wind-spread flames from the two explosions had met, creating a lake that devoured three quarters of Uchiha land. The undead's attacks, dodged and missed, only grew that lake. The air shimmered, the sky was smoke and ash.

Yashiro opened his mouth. "You really are just like Itachi, aren't you?"

Naruto's gaze flickered to a pair of open, spinning Sharingan. Fire filled them, red and orange _seared_. Naruto tried to crawl away, and found himself airborne.

The Uchiha had kicked him below the ribs, cracking a few, displacing others. All of Naruto's air vomited from his lungs and spilled onto cooked ground as he flew, away from the Uchiha, and into the lake of flames.

It burned. It did not injure – the Kyūbi's overtaxed chakra saw to that – but he still inhaled its heat and coughed up boiling blood. Naruto rolled, wheezing – lungs burning – everything burning – devouring flames everywhere – trying to find the way out.

A chakra-sheathed blade stabbed his arm, pinning him there. Yashiro straddled him, flames eating his ash-paper skin as swiftly as it was replaced.

"When Itachi slayed us, we cursed ourselves as much as we did him. And we swore, if ever a way was possible, that we would accomplish the task our forefather started. Uchiha sweat, Uchiha blood was used to build Konoha. Yet what of our clan? Whose faces are carved in that stone? Whose _will_ flaunts itself in the hearts and minds of every shinobi?"

Naruto twisted his body, trying to get out from under the man, but Yashiro stepped on his ankle with chakra-focused strength. "I don't know!" the blond choked. Agony filled his chest, displaced ribs grated together. His arm poured blood that could not clot. His twisted ankle was filled with sensations of tendons coiling as they cooked. And worked beyond its limit, the Kyūbi's chakra dragged itself over his body, clumsily trying to heal and protect.

"Hashirama Senju. The First Hokage. His will beat in Itachi's breast, and he slayed his kin without hesitation or remorse. And now you kill us, again and again, for the same reasons as him!"

The Uchiha raised his sword to end it, but froze. His head twitched and his Sharingan half-blinked. He glanced away, in the direction of an invisible signal, and smirked. Naruto's vision swam, his mind overstimulated with heat and hazed from blood loss. His eyes closed and he let himself float, away from the fire and pain and selfishness of the monster inside him.

Yashiro held out his sword and waited. And something came. The sing of wind chakra, mingled with the dull roar of billowing fire. Dragged back to his body, Naruto opened his eyes.

The Fūma was monstrous, blades augmented with enough wind to double their length. But that was a mute detail. The shuriken had cut a clean path, sucking flames into its blades and leaving behind a scorched line of bare earth that would not burn again.

With a clang and showering sparks, Yashiro caught the Fūma on his sword tip and spun it in a wide circle around them. The flames were inhaled into the ever-growing wheel of concentrated heat. Relieved of protecting Naruto's body from burning, the Kyūbi's chakra rushed to heal his wounds. Yashiro, his body free of lingering fire, spun the Fūma above his head. Naruto choked under the non-stop beats of blistering air.

"Itachi, born the best of Uchiha, had a Senju's heart. The heart of our ancestor's bitter enemy! He was a traitor down to his bones. A squatter in his mother's womb and thief of the Uchiha name and bloodline!"

"What are you _talking about_?!" Naruto screamed with newly mended ribs.

Yashiro stared at him, eyes open, tomoe visibly spinning. "I suppose that doesn't matter. You are just like him."

He yanked his sword from Naruto's arm, leaped back and threw the Fūma.

'_Punch like shishou? That's impossible for you._'

Superhot steel slashed the earth. Screaming wind flung fire in all directions, relighting the clearing, vaporizing earth and air. A great orange plume erupted and the fire sea surged.

'_It's all chakra control. If you and her used the same chakra, her enhanced strength would be a hundred times yours. You'd have to use a hundred times the amount chakra to match her.'_

Yashiro readied his short sword. It was sense more than sight, the experience of over a hundred battles warning him that this might not be over. His senses did not fail him. Blond and burnt orange rocketed out of the blaze, streaking fire. Naruto was airborne, his left fist cocked back and alight with every drop of golden chakra he had been wearing, screaming as though to push the earth out of place.

Yashiro threw the short sword like a kunai; its blade dense with chakra and sharp enough to slice muscle-deep with a glancing touch. Naruto roared and punched with all his power; chakra clashed, and the blade went spinning off into the ashen sky. The gold on Naruto's fist evaporated, the clash having robbed it of energy.

Yashiro smirked, already victorious, and held up his remaining sword. Naruto grinned, twisted his body and brought his right fist into view.

Genetic lack of true chakra perception in the Sharingan. Dangerous assumptions caused by overconfidence in the gap between their experience. The sheer enormity of the Kyūbi's chakra, so even a chunk of it was enough to distract his eyes from the Jinchūriki's true purpose.

The Uchiha would never find the right excuse.

Golden light painted the Jinchūriki's falling form like a sun-dipped death-bringer. The chakra on his fist, fluid fire the size of his body, was blinding.

There was nowhere for the Reanimation to go. With a snarl both indignant and resigned, he backed his blocking blade with his hand and channelled an endless stream of chakra.

Naruto thrust, the weight of his muscle, his falling body and the Kyūbi's chakra all culminating into a single, hell-of-it shout:

"SHANNARŌ!"

It was a beaver's dam trying to block a tidal wave, and the undead could not gather enough chakra to stop it. The Uchiha's chakra vaporised as though it had never been and his sword snapped shamelessly in two, leaving its master's face exposed to the light, heat and force of an exploding sun.

Naruto's punch slammed the Uchiha headfirst into the earth. An ominous quake rang out from the epicentre, warning subterranean life to go deeper. The fire lake trembled as though foreseeing its decimation. A millisecond of silence, then the earth _roared_. Fire-matted ground heaved in a great wave motion, throwing up several tons of virgin soil and shallow bedrock, scattering flames in a jagged radius of two hundred meters. Within this distance, an Edo Tensei's ankle was almost recovered. He made to stand, looked up, and was crushed by a ton-heavy slab of bedrock.

When Naruto lifted his fist, there was nothing underneath it but ashen pulp. Panting, he slowly stood in the crater, fifty feet below the earth's burnt surface. Some of his wounds were not healed; his shoulder and arm would bleed again if he moved too much, which was impossible with the hot, swollen tendons in his twisted ankle. His limbs trembled, steam wheezed from overworked lungs, skin flushed from overheated blood, sweat dripped into his eyes and off his nose and chin; Naruto had not felt so ready to collapse since he lost a bet to Kiba and was forced to join Lee for his early morning five hundred laps around Konoha.

He glanced at the unmoving Edo Tensei. Parchment was already fluttering around his headless neck, but he was not going to revive any time soon.

'_You are just like him… he slayed his kin without hesitation or remorse… and now you kill us, again and again, for the same reasons as him!_'

Naruto bit his hand. Droplets of blood bubbled from the wound and he sucked the warm metal. The Uchiha only started acting like this after Kabuto's snakes bit them. It had to be Kabuto, trying to mess with his head.

Naruto nodded to himself, ignoring any niggling dark corners that whispered '_you know better… you just don't want to accept…_'

Naruto bit his hand again. "Sasuke… Sasuke…" He hobbled to the wall. He was going to save Sasuke, beat Kabuto and put an end to this jutsu. He grabbed the broken wall and pushed himself up.

The wounds in his arm opened. His ankle popped, shooting pain up his spine and into his brain. Head pounding, body aching, he collapsed like wet clay.

"Sasuke… Sasuke…" He pulled on the Kyūbi's chakra. It pulled back, snapping the connection. Too drained from the pain to yell, Naruto focused his will and violently pulled again. It resisted. Naruto snarled through gritted, blood-slicked teeth. "Pay your rent you damn fox!" He closed his eyes, descending into the damp yellow sewer that housed the beast, ready to rip the chakra through the damned cage bars if necessary.

Sensing his intent, the Kyūbi shoved him out, back into the crater he had created. Naruto lay there, stunned. Then, blood-smeared lips stretched into a smile.

"I'm not giving you a choice." He focused his own chakra to the fingertips of his uninjured hand and pressed it to the seal on his bare stomach. Another seal, the ornate head of a key appeared around the first, and Naruto twisted it slightly. He felt the Kyūbi _roar_ as its chakra flowed.

If that chakra felt a bit thin, Naruto did not notice as his wounds healed and his muscles flooded with power. When he was able to stand, he tried the chakra-arms again. He only managed one, but with the slaughter of another twenty clones, he was able to use it well. Even if he could see right through it. He extended the arm off the original limb, found grip and _pulled_, clearing half the crater in seconds.

As he repeated this with the other arm, he noticed something peculiar. When he overshot the rim of the crater with one elastic tug and hung in mid-air, he realised what was strange.

He was smiling. The land was burning, Sasuke was kidnapped, his enemies were overwhelming, his chakra-arm was dissipating, but he was smiling.

He could not stop. Deep down, more than adrenaline there was excitement. _Enjoyment_. Who could deny the thrill of this? Him, the dead-last, the idiot, was fighting _alone_ against the Uchiha clan. Forty of them, according to the information from his killed clones. And he was alive. He was _matching_ them. Not winning, but not losing. He could actually _do this_. He could –

And Naruto was punched in the face with a flaming fist, his fall to earth turned into a brutally assisted flight.

His face dug a groove into the melted ground several meters long. When he stopped, the burning fist still buried into his cheek, the rest of his body took a few moments before crumpling to the earth with a dead sound.

"Insolent child," his aggressor spat. "We were ready to take down a village. Did you really think you would be able to stand up to us _alone_?"

"Arrogant bastard," Naruto returned, spitting blood as his eye swelled shut. "I'm gonna be Hokage. Do you really think I don't have a village's strength?!"

The blow was thunderous; the Uchiha's stomach caved in under the force of Naruto's anger and the Bijuu's dense chakra. The Uchiha flew up, Naruto came up, readying his real fist to take his head off. Again.

But the Uchiha, during his absence, had gotten used to his new body. While pieces of parchment flitted around the hole in his gut, he grabbed the chakra arm that punched him and _swung_, kicking Naruto's elbow and sending his fist off-course. Naruto stumbled back half a step. In that time the Uchiha found ground and _pushed_; a roaring uppercut took Naruto in the chin and snapped his head back.

White and black lightning flashed in his vision as his feet left the ground. The Uchiha punched him square in the face, twisting his already-cracked and smoking jaw. The Uzumaki flew back and skidded a few feet. He dropped to one knee, just trying to put his head back together, to ignore the pain as his jaw healed, to stop the red and yellow world from dancing so much.

The punishment for his weakness was a broken nose. Naruto reeled back, staggering into a broken retreat, but the Uchiha lunged forward, searing the tenderized meat of the Uzumaki's face with blow after blow. His chakra-skin waned, patches of golden water vaporised into nothing.

"Stupid brat," the Uchiha spat, brutalizing the blond. "Be Hokage for the people who hate and scorn you? A fitting dream for someone who is about to die protecting his tormentors."

With a kick he sent Naruto to the ground; the blond reflexively covered his pulped and broken face, but his one good eye never left the Uchiha that had offered him a place in his clan, a role in Konoha's destruction.

"There is no such thing as gratitude in the shinobi world, brat. You of all people should know that. You saved this village. And they hated you for it. Do you think that by becoming their Hokage they'll finally acknowledge you?"

Naruto had it. Mirroring the zombie before him, he sped up the Kyūbi's healing process by snapping his own jaw into place. When the hinge worked without creaking, he spoke.

"The Hokage is someone who's already acknowledged by everyone," he snarled, blood sludging from his nostrils over curled lips. "Don't talk about it if you don't know anything, _idiot_!" He reached into his pocket and gripped the only weapon he had. "What I really don't get is you. All of you. _Uchiha_!" He lunged with a roar, ducked away from another fire punch and stabbed his opponent in the chest with enough force to destroy his heart; if the Edo Tensei had a heart, and if a plastic butter knife was not sharper than Naruto's kunai.

Instead, he ended up body-slamming the man, stunning him. Naruto straddled him and, with his kunai pressed deep into the undead's chest, yelled in his face.

"I would have died to be one of you! To have a name that everyone acknowledged. That everyone _loved_! You think I liked having to work so hard – so damn hard just to get people to spit on me?! And then, I had to work even harder to get them to look at me. To get them to acknowledge me – I had to have my bones broken. I had to _bleed_. I had to face horrible monsters and worse ninja and somehow survive! If I had your name, could you imagine how different things would have been for me?!" The Uchiha said nothing, ignoring the warm drops of blood and tears falling on his face. "That's why I don't get you! Why do you _hate_? Why do you want to destroy the village?!" Naruto pressed in the kunai, teasing a rib. The Uchiha released a tiny groan, his eyes narrowing. "_I'm_ the one who should want to destroy Konoha! You were loved so much – you should be _protecting_ this place!"

"Naïve kid." And for the first time, Naruto saw a flicker of sympathy in those red eyes. "The Konoha you see is only a dream. We were never loved, only used for our eyes. And when troubled times came, they scorned the visual prowess they once adored." Bitterness twisted the Uchiha's lips. "You're just a brat who was ignored. What do you know about Konoha's true darkness?"

Naruto's stomach hollowed.

"_You are the Jinchūriki of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto. Inside the walls of this village is the only place you truly belong."_

"I don't know… Konoha's darkness…?"

"_Are you preparing such a technique for Itachi-san? … A pity it will all go to waste. I'm afraid those you trust are lying to you about him."_

"Your eyes," the Uchiha muttered. Naruto blinked, suddenly seeing his opponent's face again. The Sharingan gaze, however, had never left Naruto. "This is your last chance, Jinchūriki. Join us."

Naruto answered with grit teeth and breaking force applied to the blunt kunai. Both kunai and rib snapped: the Uchiha smirked and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a burning chunk of bedrock in his place.

Naruto braced himself, but no other sensations of hate came to him. There was only the crackle of the unending fire and the scant wisps of chakra returning from his beaten clones. One stabbed, another incinerated; he saw them struggle and die, aided only by faint trickles of gold if any at all. He looked at the large, empty patches in his own chakra-skin. He realised the implications and immediately shoved them aside. Just as his clone said; find Kabuto, save Sasuke, get _out of this hell_.

Naruto shut his eyes and expanded his senses, questing for the snake. Replying whispers rippled on his chakra-skin, concentric rings of hate and chakra spread out. There was no number for how often he and his clones had done this, during battle and the seconds of peace in-between. But, fearing the unknown powers of a Bijuu's controlled chakra, Kabuto hid himself and moved often. That was all he did. He never sent another massive snake to devour Naruto, or any of his clones – except when they tried to escape the barrier.

One to the north was gored on a fang as it pummelled a spot on the barrier with taijutsu. Three in the south were consumed before they could pull off a Rasenshuriken. And unseen nearby, another was devoured as it tried to dig its way out.

_Keep destroying them._

The chakra they returned to him, however little, was invaluable. The rippling whispers swelled into waves that broke over his mind. There were no words but he _felt_ it, the snake hiding in the flames – its slime and frustration. Sticky blood, warmed by the surrounding flames, shifted with Naruto's smile. He pinched his nose, snapping the slowly sealing bone into place. He moved to stand.

And heaved, coughing up bile and blood.

He knew he had never been fully healed. The golden chakra only healed him to the point of sustaining breathing and allowing movement. He knew the damage had been accumulating. He knew how much longer he could last. So he knew that his vomiting had nothing to do with his injuries.

Since their awakening in the cemetery, the Uchihas' hatred was ever-present on his chakra, endless white noise that spiked whenever they launched an attack. It was there, cold and rich and awful as always, during his search. He expected that. What made him retch was that at this point, when he was so used to the seasoned hatred of the clan, he never imagined that he would encounter something worse.

He _shook_.

Evil was the only word for it. A mass of wills crying out for blood, death and redemption; the anticipation of a triumph so dark, so perversely celebrated, that Naruto's heart stuttered and the Kyūbi's chakra _pulsed_.

It was near the barrier, at the cemetery a couple kilometres away. Aimed right for the sleeping Konoha.

Naruto wiped his mouth. He finished standing. His chakra-skin flared into a burning almost-cloak. He focused all of the Kyūbi's chakra to his feet, and with the shattering of fire-caked earth, Naruto _flew_.

How many seconds did it take? How many fractions of a minute? Naruto neither knew nor cared. Fractions of minutes were too long, so he got there with time to spare.

When he arrived there was no punch. No kick. No heroic declarations. There was just a yellow comet hailing from the flames: its impact quaked the earth and scattered the Uchiha like a heap of dead leaves. Those with the stronger Sharingan managed to move just enough for their limbs to escape intact. Parchment pieces hurried to reconstruct the weaker ones.

The Uchiha with the blazing fists and dream-like genjutsu smirked and nodded to the others. "Told you."

He looked at the Jinchūriki, tomoe spinning. "It's just like the legend about the First Hokage's wife. The Kyūbi's chakra lets him sense negative emotions – he doesn't need to see us to know where we are." Amidst the settling dust the glow of the Jinchūriki waned, the flames extinguished, the almost-cloak thinned to water that thinned to mist and then nothing at all. "He dodged me when I first came at him from a blind spot. I watched him since then." Trembling, the yellow figure rose halfway and fell, its leg broken. The Uchiha's smirk grew nastier. "And when he was getting cocky, I blocked my emotions and nailed him. Brat never knew what hit him."

He leaped forward, his hand thrusting into the dust to pull Naruto out by his hair. Broken bones jostled and the blond cried out. The Uchiha brought him nose to nose with a snarl.

"Did Konoha throw their Nine-Tailed dog a few bones to make him behave? Is that why you're so loyal?"

The foul death on the Edo Tensei's breath did not phase Naruto anymore, his senses having long adapted if only to stop his gag reflex from acting up. His blood-glazed lips moved faintly, forcing the Reanimation to bring his ear closer.

"Friends… protect… our home."

"So you've gorged on the bones, have you?" The Uchiha threw Naruto from him, disgusted. "You still don't know the nature of the world. You're a jinchūriki, brat. If they have to throw a few people in your cage to make you stop howling, they'll do it." He stepped forward, sharp-tipped bangs swaying. "They did the same to us. Made us anathema to the villagers and called it the Police Force. Isolated us from the village and called it self-governance. How much were we supposed to take? How much will you take?"

"Quit whining already." Blue wisps gathered in Naruto's palm, only to evaporate before they could take form. Whatever scraps remained of his chakra-skin were too busy with his leg. He gave up the jutsu and gathered his good leg under him, trembling to stand and hyperaware of his injuries.

He smirked. "C'mon, even kitty-Sasuke isn't such a baby." He rose to a crooked half-stance, eyes narrowing at the peculiar and teasing pain of his bones fusing. Shining blue glared up at the sharp-eyed Uchiha. "Didn't I tell you? I would have died to be one of you."

The Uchiha gestured, his frustration building. "You're already like us. Ostracized, ill-treated, looked at with cold eyes. If something binds you, fine. Let us loose. We'll take vengeance for you too –"

"Shut up already!" He spread his arms, half defending the wall, half trying to keep his balance. "You won't touch Konoha!"

"Inabi," Yashiro stepped forward, parchment bits still flitting around his recently remade skull. The plump aunt of the Uchiha came to stand at his side. "He won't come."

Slower than her brethren, the aunt weaved seals and pressed her hands to the earth, setting a glowing pool of fire beneath its razed surface.

Inabi's eyes narrowed, disappointed. "Looks like it."

Naruto moved. He was still fast, if a little broken. Still fast. He pushed off with his good leg, the bones in his broken one grinding. Inabi's sharp eyes flashed into his own – genjutsu that had only a second to exist before being dispelled.

In that second, Naruto's ribs shattered. The kick was muscle and overheat; blood surged from punctured lungs and out of Naruto's mouth and nose, and he was taken off his overworked foot.

But his leg had healed to a fracture – he could work with it now. As soon as he landed, he would summon the almost-cloak again. Wheezing, he would fight without breathing until his lungs drained of blood and his ribs healed.

He was going to be Hokage. Only death was an excuse for not protecting the village. His body could still move. He still had the Kyūbi's chakra.

But since genin days, Inabi's aim had never missed. A fire pool surged, a geyser of flame spouted. Naruto flew into the heart of the eruption, and _burned_.

Pain. The chakra-skin succumbed and melted away and his betrayed clothes and flesh fused under the welding heat. His broken ribs sang, his lungs filled slowly, sagging. Burned, broken, bruised, drowning, it did not matter. It was all pain. And Naruto, lungs too full to even scream, slowly died beneath it.

It must not have been long. The aunt was not a fighter – there was a limit to how long she could sustain her jutsu. Conveniently, the jutsu's end result did not take long. At the end of a few seconds, it was done. The eruption receded into the earth, snapping back like the head of a snake. The black body floated in time slowed by the Sharingan, quarter seconds doubled and redoubled. When it fell onto the husked ground, there was the sound of dust and ash, and burnt, indistinguishable pieces flaked off the charred meat.

The uncle squeezed the aunt's shoulder, as she looked at the barrier and Konoha beyond it.

"The hottest fire of the Uchiha. No wonder you burned everything you cooked as a kid."

"You're still on about that?"

"When a man tastes burnt soup for the first time, he doesn't forget it." She did not look at the burnt meat. Small, tight lines grew at the corner of her lip. The uncle noticed. "It had to be done."

"I know. He kept blocking us." She tilted her head back a little, looking at the healthy greenery on the other side of the wall. "Why wasn't Itachi like him?" The Uchiha looked at her. Her question went unanswered. "If it would have come to bloodshed between us then it was better, open rebellion. More honest." Her eyes slowly closed. "Dying in a battle like this, there's still pride. Under the lies, I just died like a fool."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," said Inabi, turning away from the scorched corpse.

"What do you mean?"

"I still would've died like a fool. If I had to fight Itachi, I don't know if I could've killed him."

"With backup you would have –"

"Itachi was born during the war." White teeth clenched beneath grey lips. "All you do is kill and plot to kill and set traps to kill and all you see are dead and dying and more dead. And in the midst of that… I was there when Itachi learned to walk." He turned to the aunt. "You were in the village, so you don't understand how attached you get to children born during wartimes. For me who saw nothing but hell, he was…" and Inabi came to himself enough to feel embarrassed, "…a brat. A damned, inscrutable brat. Could never tell what he was thinking even back then. Always looking at you like he could see through you."

"Um, Inabi-san…" a teenage Uchiha, who knew respect for his elders, was staring at the yellow-tainted steam rising off the burnt Jinchūriki.

"Skill doesn't matter so much when it comes to the final blow. Who can make the kill: that determines victory. I don't know if I could. So I would have died as a sentimental fool."

"That's unlike you," said Yashiro, irritably dusting the parchment that flitted about his ears.

"Yeah well I'm dead. So my personality can change all it wants." He pointed into the man's face. "You should be more adaptable. You realise you can make as many Shadow Clones as you want now." The Sharingan-red lines above Yashiro's nose disappeared and reappeared: the man had blinked. "I can't believe you stuck to your one-clone standard. What were you afraid of? Dying again?"

The aunt looked on, the lines at her lips softening. "We all should've been more honest."

Inabi's gaze snapped to her, Sharingan rotating. "You're not rethinking this." She shook her head and looked at Konoha again. The lines hardened.

"Let's –"

"Inabi-san!" The teenager blew fire at the meat that had nothing left to burn. And the corpse resisted. Yellow steam poured from every inch of char; it swallowed the body in billows and surged upwards, buffeting the teen's flames until he quit. The golden chakra bubbled, a pseudo life that plumed ever higher. And then, as though realising the energy it was wasting, the chakra curled in on itself and imploded.

Light and heat surged inwards, filling dried blood vessels and empty chakra paths. It raced onwards, refilling and recreating the cooked flesh and flaking skin. It stretched outwards, piercing the ground, the air, and any jutsu thrown at the centre it protected, turning Naruto into the core of a thousand-pointed star.

Few things could blind a fully trained Sharingan. Light was rarely one of them. Natural light had little to no chance, unless by idiocy or contrition one decided to stare at the sun. And even then it would take half a minute to become unbearable. Chakra light had better odds, but still required exceptional nature manipulation to make it bright enough.

Nova light from angry and frantic Bijuu chakra obliterated the Sharingan's sight – all eighty of them. The catalytic energy _roared_, shaking the endless flames and robbing a second sense from the Uchiha. The din's change from ancient hate to young fury went unnoticed, and when a body once thought dead moved, Inabi had no chance to react.

Knuckles slammed into his cheek, baby-new skin tearing instantly, new blood flowing warm. Naruto did not look healed. Ripped, burned and grey, his clothes barely hung on him. His skin was alien-smooth, paper-pale and easily torn. Inabi, eyes tightly shut and watering, swung and took Naruto in the chin. Naruto dodged to the right, avoiding a stunning impact. His bruised jaw opened in a scream and he lunged forward, burying blows in the undead's face. His punches were wild, they hurt, his knuckles bruised and split and bled. He hardly cared. With tears and an animal's cry, he brutalized the blind Uchiha who just could not react without his Sharingan.

Inabi stumbled. Naruto's next attack sent him to the ground. He leaped with a wounded howl, fist drawn back for a decisive blow, "Naruto-kun," and was clotheslined with a cloaked arm. The whisper, polite and annoyed beyond its limit, was audible even as he choked. "I think you've forgotten something."

And Naruto was slammed into the ground with enough force to crack one of his newly mended ribs. A pale foot pressed firmly into his chest, straining the fractured bone.

"Hey!" Inabi furiously rubbed his eyes and blinked away the spots. "Don't interfere! He's –"

A single-handed seal shut him up. Enraged veins rose in his temples; twitching, his fingers slowly clenched, sparks dancing over his knuckles. At the same moment, Naruto dug into Kabuto's leg with soft nails. When those split, or ripped off completely, Naruto opted for pounding the spy's calf with bloody punches.

Kabuto grit his teeth. Barbarians on both sides: was the fight that exhilarating? Inabi's foot scraped along the ash-carpeted ground, exerting his will over Kabuto's inch by inch. The other Uchiha did the same, some even managing slow, twitching hand seals.

"Using fully alive sacrifices instead of half-dead ones worked well for letting them keep their personalities." A small vein rose in his neck. His second hand joined the first and strengthened the binding seal. "But it's a bit tough when you want to take control."

The extra chakra froze the Uchiha, for a moment. Then they moved again, indomitable wills tempered through war, hate and bloodpride. Naruto kept punching and broke through Kabuto's persistent healing to bruise his calf.

The neck vein throbbed. Kabuto released his hands and fire came at him from all sides.

"I have Sasuke-kun!" The flames outed instantly, the closest toasting the white scales around Orochimaru's eye.

"You're bluffing," Inabi snarled. Kabuto did not waste a breath in his defence; instead he pointed at Naruto who had frozen mid-punch, his eyes wide. "Where?"

"You're quite adaptable," Kabuto clinically noted.

"Where!" Inabi's fists blazed, the fire moulding into something animal. Jaws snapped.

"And what an interesting variation of the Lion Fist," Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Can it absorb chakra too?"

"I'll show you." He reared back, ready to take Kabuto's grinning head off.

"Wait!" Through newly strung vocal chords, Naruto rasped. "One of his snakes swallowed Sasuke. If you kill him, we can't get to it."

"Very good, Naruto-kun," he said, kneading his foot into tender ribs. "Did you know that while you were grinding my face off with a Rasengan?" Naruto groaned, but lowered his fists. "And on that note, how long do you think it's been since that happened?" He raised an empty sleeve; a white head slithered out of the darkness, tongue flashing in and out. "It's storage, sure. But this little one is alive," he petted the serpent under its chin, eliciting a sated hiss. "So the things he eats are digested, no matter how slow it is. You should know, right Naruto-kun? How dark and slimy it is, how little air there is inside a snake's body." Kabuto's lip curled back, "How scary it would be to a little –"

"Give," Naruto bit through his bottom lip, nail-less fingers scraping at Kabuto's bruise. "Him _back_!"

"My leg hurts." The petulant declaration made Naruto's chest seize. His arms fell limp and he lay there, trembling.

"So, you understand." He glanced at the Uchiha, unmoving and watchful. "They don't, but they'll follow you. An interesting exchange must have happened between you. What could it have been I wonder?" Full of theatrical delight, he put his finger to his chin, eyes rolled to the red sky. "The truth about Itachi, perhaps?" Naruto's trembling ceased. _Stop_. Inabi caught it.

"The brat doesn't know."

_Please stop._

"No one does. You're the clan tragically slain by a lunatic."

_Enough. It hurts, my head hurts. No more, please._

"And Itachi's the worst villain of Konoha, with the highest bounty on his head."

_I should be home. Home with Sasuke. We should be home. That was the plan._

"He left Sasuke behind and left the village, branded a criminal on par with Orochimaru-sama. Unwanted, hated, scorned. It seems that is the fate of all…" He looked at Naruto with dramatic sadness.

_The plan was to go to the cemetery and let Sasuke do what he had to and pay my respects and go back home and maybe have a cup ramen and sleep until an hour in the morning when there was actually light in the sky. And then I'd wake up and Hinata would come over and I'd learn how to make breakfast and we'd eat and then we'd visit Sakura and then go see Ero-sennin to waste time until we go over to Chōji's house because then it would be lunchtime and Chōji's mom cooks the best according to Shikamaru so please stop, please, if you go on me and Sasuke can't do any of that, we can't go back so please, please, please…! _

"Who save Konoha."

Naruto's tears dripped and were greedily drunk by the scorched ground. Kabuto raised an eyebrow and kicked him. The blond coughed, tears, spit and blood mingling. With slow purpose, Kabuto reached down and gripped him by the neck, lifting him.

"My answer, Naruto-kun." The snake's nostrils teased Naruto's cheek, moving along a whisker mark. Drained blues flicked a hard gaze towards it. "If you kill it, Sasuke dies too."

Kabuto brought him closer, both eyes lightless and painted like stones.

"I'll ask again. How can someone with amnesia – with _no past_ still have an identity?"

The question from a lifetime ago, before hell's gate was opened. Naruto still did not understand it, and still had no answer.

"I don't –"

Kabuto squeezed and Naruto coughed up more saliva. "Oh but you do! _Think_, Naruto-kun! Think and _answer me_!"

Naruto did. The red-dyed memories of his oxygen-starved brain swam before him – in seconds he relived days. With unbridled clarity he saw how many things had changed. How he had changed. And how he needed to change again.

"Family." Kabuto released him. He crumpled on boneless legs, his face to the dirt, coughing up old air and wheezing in new.

"Elaborate." Kabuto hissed.

"A lot of things happened. Sasuke went through a lot of pain over what happened to his clan. But, somehow, he finally acknowledged me as his family. I didn't do anything, but he called me his brother, and he told me he loved me. I don't know about being a spy and losing yourself. I don't get it. But I'm Sasuke's brother. I'll stand by his side always. I'm his family. Whatever you see in Sasuke, that's all there is to it."

"… … That's it?" Naruto swallowed, one eye blinking up at Kabuto, his breathing slightly slowed, slightly less damaged.

"Family?" Kabuto _hissed_, and the white snake retreated into the cloak's comfortable darkness. He reached down and grabbed Naruto by the hair, bringing his face up to meet his own. The blond remained limp, unresisting.

"Family does not _help_, Naruto-kun!" Bitter saliva flecked onto Naruto's face. The boy said nothing. "Family is why I'm like this! Mother became a spy to protect her family, to protect _me_!" He shook Naruto by the clumpful of hair he held, ripping a few strands from their roots. Naruto's face was still, his eyes never moving from Kabuto's maddened mismatch. "I became a spy to protect my brothers and sisters! To save them, I lost the identity I barely had, the Kabuto I was just beginning to forge! There were days Naruto-kun – _weeks_ when I did not even know if I was man, animal or insect! _Family_!"

He threw the blond from him; Naruto landed in the dirt and stayed there, his eyes not leaving Kabuto. The man snarled. "Family only makes you throw your identity away. Love utterly destroys it."

"No." Naruto slowly moved his arms under him. Kabuto crouched a couple feet away, still and silent as the undead watching them. He glared, tense, but made no move to stop the blond. Without adrenaline, he had no strength, and his chakra was too low even for a basic Bunshin technique.

"Lies did that to you, Kabuto." Naruto finally pushed himself up and rolled back to sit on his knees. "You kept lying to everyone and you kept lying to yourself. You lied so much that you couldn't find a truth as basic as who you are."

"You're telling me you never lied to Sasuke-kun?" the seething retort made Naruto wince.

"In the beginning, I did. I didn't want him to be hurt." Naruto's eyes lowered in a moment of silent regret. Then they rose and Kabuto was struck by their light. "But that wasn't family. That was just me trying to protect a fake ideal." Kabuto's eyes widened, his glare replaced by something Naruto had no words for.

_Sasuke faced his clan's death. He faced Itachi. And, with you by his side, he made new choices. Different, but his own._

"It took me a while to get it, but I had to tell Sasuke the truth."

_Ever since you found him, with words, with emotions, with just __**being there**__, you've been fighting to save him from the darkness. And you won._

"I never left him alone. I was there for him. I talked to him. I let him cry on me until he couldn't anymore. And I _never let him go to the darkness_." Kabuto reeled back; the _vitality_ in his words was almost palpable. "That's love. That's _family_!" His eyes regained their life, vibrant and fearless he stared Kabuto down. "Family doesn't destroy identity, Kabuto. Family is the only place you can be your true self."

The right-hand with no master to lead him stared at the one born with no family, the boy who through unrelenting effort, indomitable will and a die-hard dream forged unbreakable bonds. Who created a family for himself, instead of waiting to be taken in.

Kabuto was lucky enough to be taken in, though the time had been too short. Even with amnesia, he had memories of a family. Memories of a mother. How shameful, to be lectured about family by someone who did not even have that much.

Kabuto laughed long and hard at himself, grabbing his side as he doubled over in mirth. Naruto stared silently at him, waiting. Finally, the smiling snake adjusted his glasses and, still chuckling, addressed the blond.

"Is that all you have to say?" Naruto nodded. His hand came away from his glasses, and he looked almost wistfully at it. "I see." His smile faded. "It doesn't answer all of my questions." Naruto's fingers dug into his knees, the sound of flesh straining not to be gouged out all too clear to Kabuto. "But," he levelled a look at the Uzumaki, and the sound of straining flesh lightened. "It's a foundation. Better than what I expected to get, coming here. Thank you, Naruto-kun. Your answer is enough."

Kabuto held up an empty sleeve, from which slithered the thick white snake that Naruto would hate for an eternity. As though reading his mind, Kabuto's smirk almost carried an apology as a familiar bulge moved up the white body, slightly diminished in size. Naruto's eyes tracked it with pinpoint pupils.

Sasuke flopped out of its mouth in a bundle of slime, trembling strands of bile and digestive juice still connecting his body to the snake's. These strands broke as Naruto scooped him up. The kitten's hair and fur were slicked, his skin was smooth, his eyes were closed and he was not breathing.

There was no second thought. Naruto opened the kitten's mouth, opened his own, and clamped his lips over Sasuke's mouth and nose, emptying his lungs in one long breath. He pulled back, tasting bitter and acid on his lips as he inhaled. His gag reflex registered for a fraction of a millisecond.

Then he was back again, breathing warm life into the cold body.

He did this five times. No one spoke. No one interrupted him. Not the Uchiha who only minutes ago were trying to kill him. Not Kabuto, who would remember the scene before him for the rest of his life.

Naruto pulled back, already inhaling, the starts of tears in his eyes. Sasuke coughed. Naruto choked on the half-breath. Sasuke coughed again, went into a violent string of them. Then he inhaled – high-pitched and shaky. Then he exhaled another few coughs. And then, he was _breathing._

Naruto stopped breathing for the five seconds it took Sasuke to open his eyes. The kitten blinked and looked up blearily at the blond.

"Nawuto?" The half-breath was exhaled in a broken cry of joy and Naruto hugged him, barely remembering to be gentle. Crying freely, laughing ceaselessly, relishing Sasuke's bewildered complaints, Naruto started to take off his shirt, wanting to clean some of the ick off him. He pulled and half of it ripped away, crumbling to ashen dust in his hands.

Sasuke stared at the falling pieces: his eyes widened as they moved over the rest of Naruto's body. He purred in soft disquiet, nosing the blond's torn and bloody knuckles.

"Why are you hurt?" The sky was getting lighter. "What happened? Why is everything… burnt?" Naruto smiled, swaying on his knees. Sasuke's face was getting blurry. "Naruto?" He could barely see those big, deep eyes; they were blending too well with the darkness. "Naruto, your eyes look weird."

"We're going home." It was as though nothing bad had happened. Sasuke was finally in front of him, they could finally go home. His cold and empty body could rest then. Naruto reached forward, unaware that Sasuke took two steps back. "Something's wrong with you."

"Sasuke?" a dead Uchiha's voice reminded them of the graveyard's empty graves. The land was blasted and scorched, graves and gravestones disintegrated to rubble. Only the sepulchre was left standing, the ink-drawn script faithfully protecting its treasure.

Naruto's snapped awake, faces bursting into clarity around him. He snarled, startling Sasuke who he shoved behind him.

"You're not going to the village and you're not getting –!"

"Auntie?" Sasuke came around his side, staring at his dead aunt's face. "You're…"

"This is a jutsu, Sasuke-chan," the woman explained. Tears leaked from her Sharingan. "We're not… really here right now."

Sasuke stared at her, apparently disagreeing, until he closed his eyes and sniffed the air. He recoiled, rubbing his nose in the waist of Naruto's pants. He came away with a black smudge across his face.

"You stink," he said in a small voice.

"I know," the woman whispered in true regret.

Inabi crouched before them, keeping a distance back when Naruto's lip curled. That surprised the blond a little; it was almost as though the man respected him now.

"That's really you, brat?" Sasuke nodded, frowning a little at the old nickname. Inabi smiled, half between surprise and confusion. He looked to Naruto. "What happened to him?"

"Nobody knows," Kabuto bluntly supplied. Naruto turned to him. He returned a bored look and shrugged. Naruto's eyebrows shot up to his scalp.

"Sasuke."

"Yashiro-san." Sasuke stepped forward more, staring at the man's Sharingan. It was rare that he saw his uncle's eyes fully open. The man smiled slightly, accurately guessing what Sasuke was thinking.

"From listening to the Jinchūriki, it seems you know the truth." Sasuke nodded slowly. "What will you do?" he asked simply.

"Go after Nii-chan and stop him."

The man's eyes closed and he exhaled artificially through his nostrils. "Good. Itachi will meet his end by your hand. You will avenge us."

"No." Yashiro's eyes shot open. Inabi's lips parted slightly. "I'll go after Nii-chan because he needs to be stopped. I love him, so I can't let him keep doing bad things. I'll stop him as his family, as his little brother."

Inabi's Sharingan flashed. Naruto threw his arm in front of the kitten, who faced his uncle's eyes unflinchingly.

"You… love him? Is that what you just said?"

"Nii-chan and Naruto. I love them both. They're my precious brothers."

"You **wretch**!" Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and he unconsciously clung to Naruto's pants. Inabi stood, his Sharingan blazing. "You love the man who slaughtered us?! You say that to the faces of those he's killed – your own _family_? Have you no soul, no blood of Uchiha in your veins?! Has becoming a cat erased your loyalty, your _kinship_?"

"I LOVE YOU!" Sasuke _screamed_ and Naruto's ears tingled. _And he calls me loud_.

Sasuke shoved Naruto's arm aside, stepping forward with bared teeth and raised fur. "I love all of you! I hate that you're dead! I wish all of you could come back and we could live in the district as a family again! But…" He looked back at Naruto, who nodded. "You _are_ dead. And I have a new family who's alive. And he told me I'm free. Even Nii-chan told me to hate him. But Naruto said I don't have to do what Nii-chan says. And I… I _like_ being free! I like living like this, I like having cool ninja friends like Lee and Kunai-neechan and Sakura. I love Hinata-neechan and Jii-chan. I love this village! And I love love love Naruto more than anyone else!"

"So if you no longer had Naruto," Yashiro emotionlessly proposed, "would you take up your duty?"

Sasuke tilted his head, ears lilting. His hair and fur started clumping with the drying digestive juices that soaked him. Yashiro spoke again. "If we had succeeded, and you no longer had Naruto…"

Sasuke's eyes widened in response to his epiphany. "You did this." The words rode a quick, flat breath. Sasuke stared at his clan with wide eyes, his head still tilted. "You hurt Naruto." And his irises narrowed to two pointed ellipses. He stepped forward, claws extending, glaring at his infuriated uncles and wearing a scowl to outmatch his adopted brother's. "You did! Why?! You hurt Naruto! Naruto's my family and you _hurt_ _him_!"

"_So we are less than him?!_" Inabi roared. Sasuke flinched, hit with the true implication of his words. "You happily raise your arms against us for _Naruto_ but seek no vengeance against the man who killed us, no hatred of the village that scorned us. You love our enemies and spit in our faces with your _selfish_ words!"

Naruto leaned forward, teeth bared. "You bas –!"

"You're right." The solemn reply froze Uchiha and Uzumaki. Sasuke fixed his Uncle with a steady, defenceless gaze. "I am selfish. I got so angry at you for hurting my family, so I should hate Nii-chan most for what he did. I should be filled up with hatred, become an avenger and strike Itachi down in the name of the Uchiha. Even if it cost me my life."

Sasuke blinked slowly, when his eyes opened he looked so _tired_. "I almost did that. But now, I can't, and I don't want to. I can't hate Nii-chan, and I love the light."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, noting Naruto's rapid blinks. The seed had been planted. The scientist smirked: he had tested the Edo Tensei, collected invaluable samples and diverted Naruto from his boring homebody path in Konoha. He wished he could have held on to Sasuke, but had the distinct feeling that kidnapping the kitten again would destroy the new… rapport he had with Naruto. And he wanted to see where this new road led, this road intertwined with Naruto's.

"Happiness." Yashiro spoke with dispassion, but disgust simmered in each word, a bitter undercurrent. "You give up your duty to avenge your family, for happiness."

"I don't have that duty," Sasuke responded without fear, _equally_. "If one member of my family is alive, my duty is to them. If they say I'm free, then I am. My Nii-chan is alive. My duty is to stop him doing bad things. Naruto is alive. My duty is to be his family and try to make him a little less stupid."

Naruto's brow twitched but no one cared. Sasuke and his uncle stared each other down, trying to find a gap in the other's stance.

Finally, Yashiro crouched so he could get closer to Sasuke's eye level. "You're sticking to that."

"Yes."

His uncle gazed at him a moment longer before his chest shook in a quiet chuckle. "Fugaku, if you could see your son now. I hate your view, Sasuke. But I respect you standing firm." He rose. "Very well, you shall tend to your duty to Naruto. We will seek justice for ourselves."

"What?" Naruto blinked, while Sasuke's eyes went wide. "I won't let you touch Kono –!"

"Nii-chan's mine! Both of them are my duty!" Sasuke growled, his fur on edge once more.

"Sasuke –"

"_Enough_!" the sound that burst from Sasuke's throat shook the air around them, jolting all in range. But the kitten followed it with an almost silent whisper, his eyes to the ground. "I was glad, to see all of you again. I wish you all could stay. But it's not right, like this." He looked up. "Leave." And crimson glared at them from behind slimy bangs.

Inabi's jaw dropped, while Yashiro looked on, his Sharingan deactivating. Both roar and whisper held authority he never knew in death or life.

"You can't just tell us to leave!" Inabi roared. Being spoken to by this child whose cheeks were still plump with baby fat was an _insult_. "Not when we have our mission to fulfil!"

"I can," Sasuke affirmed, still quiet, "because I'm alive. You don't belong here anymore."

"Your father was the Clan Head," Inabi stated indignantly, "And I was second in –"

"**I** am Head of the Uchiha now!" Sasuke roared again, shaking men and air both. "This is my village, _my home_!" Sasuke raised his hands, stringing seals while his crimson eyes and single tomoe shrunk to slits. "And as Clan Head, my only duty to you is to send you back to yours."

"I am – we are –!"

"You. Are. DEAD!"

"If you won't fulfil your duty – if you won't even hate the one who killed us –!"

"_I am living in Naruto's light! I can't carry something as ugly as your hate!_"

Sasuke inhaled. Naruto pressed his palm, gloved with Wind chakra, to the kitten's back. None of them dodged. Inabi was gawking, Yashiro was smiling, and towards the back Sasuke's aunt was quietly weeping.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!" Naruto's chakra flowed and the fireball spread, breaking out of its shape to become a massive conflagration. The blast of flame, heat and smoke only broke around the barrier protecting the Clan Heads' sepulchre. The Uchiha's bodies were decimated, burst apart into crackling parchment that burned again into ashes.

But they reformed as quickly as the flames could burn. And Sasuke soon ran out of chakra. The jutsu ceased and the kitten fell, panting, against Naruto. He looked into the gazes of his clan as their bodies fought to maintain shape within the feasting flames.

Living and dead stared at each other, emotionless. As their bodies began to glow, the dead's eyes shifted, and something in Naruto's chest leaped at the unanimous look Sasuke received.

Acknowledgement.

"I guess now's good." Before Naruto could register Kabuto's movement, Orochimaru's apprentice slung several seals together and slammed his palms to the earth. Forty coffins rose behind the Uchiha and jerked them inside, most of their bodies still aflame.

"Those were some very interesting results," Kabuto chuckled. The coffin lids, creaking on non-existent hinges, slammed themselves shut to every box, sealing the clan away.

Sasuke growled. "Let them go."

The coffins sank into the earth. Kabuto adjusted his glasses, levelling a curious look at the kitten. "Strange. Somehow I almost lost their souls to the Pure Land. That fire of yours seemed to have some sort of cleansing effect, Sasuke-kun. If only you were older –"

"Let them go!"

Naruto pushed Sasuke behind him again, leaned towards Kabuto and fell flat on his face, unable to tell that he had even fallen.

Kabuto glared at him, medic's eyes recognising the ailment immediately. He clicked his tongue and raised his hands to form a seal –

And was impaled through the chest by an Uchiha's sword. He heaved an unhealthy amount of blood onto the last bits of grass remaining in the graveyard.

"You –" he turned to the dead Uchiha, who grinned back.

"_Kakakakakakakaka_!" The Uchiha's head jerked from side to side with the sound of rattling wood. Kabuto sneered at the crassness of it. Mocking him, the head stopped rattling with its cheek parallel to its shoulder. More wood clicked as its jaw disjointed and a kunai launched from its throat, streams of purple poison flying from the blade.

It lodged itself hilt-deep between Kabuto's eyes.

The dead man's head flopped back, poison dribbling along his forehead and into his hair. Tendrils of sand snaked up his body, keeping it sitting upright.

Sasuke took a small break from shaking Naruto's shoulder to say, "Wha –"

Kabuto's corpse twitched, the jaw opened unnaturally wide and the cloaked man dashed out before the sand arm could crush him in its grip.

"Goodbye." He formed a seal as a wave of sand sped for him, accelerated by a rabid gust of chakra-sickled wind. Shooting a last look of almost-concern at Naruto, he disappeared in a clumsily loud smoke cloud.

"Tch. Got away," the girl of wind growled, stepping out of the shadows at last with her two brothers behind her. She glared at one of them. "I almost have to be grateful that he did escape though. Who gave you the authority to kill him, Kankuro?"

"He was still alive after I stabbed him through the heart. Well alive. I couldn't leave him like that."

"Enough." A soft voice cut off the other two. They immediately shut up, though exchanged glares.

By that time, Naruto managed to push himself up on his elbows. He stared in slack-jawed disbelief at the man who had spoken.

"I don't believe you're here," he said bluntly, getting to his knees with a heave of effort. He would shake his head if he was not convinced he would fall over again. With another heave, he found his feet. Sasuke leaped into his arms, never liking to be on the floor in front of strangers. The height difference always unnerved him.

"What – how – I don't believe you're here."

Sabaku no Gaara stared at Naruto, arms folded across his chest, pale eyes solemn as they always were. Those eyes slowly roved Naruto's body, making the blond painfully aware of what a mess he must be.

"Uh, Gaara. How did you get in –?"

"Under."

"Huh?"

Gaara's eyes met his again. "We went under the barrier. Tori helped." Naruto blinked. Gaara did not.

"Uh – okay. Uh – hold on." Naruto put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, Gaara's gaze had not moved. "I'm glad to see you Gaara, really. But, I guess the question I wanna ask is _why_ you're here in Konoha."

Gaara finally blinked. "I sent a message to the Hokage. She replied, granting permission for my visit, so I came here. It takes three days to get here, correct? Less if you fly some of the way."

Naruto froze. The other two sand siblings looked at each other. Temari opened her mouth, but Kankuro stopped her, slowly shaking his head. They couldn't baby him all the time; he needed to learn on his own.

"Gaara." Naruto realised he had to be very specific.

"Yes."

"How did you know I was in here?"

Gaara unfolded his arms and brought a hand to his stomach. "I was born a Jinchūriki. Even with Shukaku gone, I can still feel the presence of another Bijuu's chakra. I felt yours, even outside the barrier. I used my sand to sense through the earth, and that is how I found out exactly where you were."

"So why'd you take so long to get here?"

The eldest sibling winced. "Talking to that Tori girl took some time. When we finally got in, the Uchiha kid was already talking down his clan." Temari smirked at the kitten. "We didn't hear everything, but you looked pretty tough. We didn't want to interrupt."

"So that's him huh?" Kankuro bent down to stare. Sasuke hissed, startling him back half a step.

Temari laughed. "He's got spunk. I like it."

Particles of sand clustered around Sasuke, embracing him. The kitten squirmed into Naruto, looking up at him questioningly. Naruto nodded with a smile. Reluctantly, Sasuke held still and let more of the sand surround him –

And fell to the ground, Naruto's hold on him gone. The sand caught him before he made impact. He oriented himself on the floating sand cushion, a scolding already on his tongue, but Naruto only stared straight ahead.

Straight at Gaara, whose eyes got noticeably wider the longer he returned the gaze. For the longer he looked, the more he was convinced that he was staring into the eyes of a dead man.

Without ceremony, Naruto fell backwards. No sigh of lost consciousness, no gasp of surprise at suddenly losing his balance. Naruto fell like a hollow tree, and hit the cushion of sand under him with a dead thud. The sand immediately searched his body for vital signs, mainly chakra.

It found nothing. It searched again, but the blond was dry. Corpse dry. Without ceremony, the sand blanketed the blond and began feeding him Gaara's chakra through every part of his body it touched.

"Temari, Kankuro, feed him your chakra as well," a faint undertone of an undertone of Gaara's voice was shaking. The siblings' eyes went wide.

The ground shifted apart, becoming quicksand that quickly swallowed the Kazekage. As his red hair sunk beneath the earth, his siblings heard him whisper, "Don't let him die." It was the first time they ever heard Gaara beg.

* * *

The Kazekage came up through the ground on the outside, right next to Tori. She did not blink. He spared no glance for her, just hopped on a platform of sand and streaked across Konoha's sky as quickly as he could go.

It was not fast enough. Of course in moments like these everything always seemed too slow. It was adrenaline in the mind heightening perception, slowing everything down, noticing every detail and impeding time. If that was all it was, Gaara would not be sweating through his armour.

He really was too slow. For all the things sand was known for, speed was not one of them. And ever since losing his Bijuu, Gaara had suffered a shameful slowing of all of his jutsu, a condition that took months of rigorous training to rectify. It did not matter. He was still too slow here. If only he could meet someone faster, but it was still early morning and everyone seemed asleep –

"Gaara-kun!" And suddenly, Rock Lee was soaring beside him, sweat flying from his face in sparkling dewdrops.

"Rock… Lee." The pause between those words was the closest Gaara had ever come to showing surprise. The Green Beast dipped out of his vision before returning, having found ground on another rooftop to launch himself.

"I was doing my early morning five hundred laps around Konoha when I noticed –" he dipped out of view again. When he returned, Gaara cut him off.

"Naruto is dying. You're faster than me. Get the Hokage and bring her to the Uchiha cemetery." Rock Lee's face was pale when he dipped out of sight. When he returned, it was deep red.

"_The Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain. Open!_" The next roof Lee launched off of cratered, and the glowing green beast soared over Konoha with the speed of a falling meteor.

Both Hokage and Hokage's advisor sensed the coming calamity at the same time. Neither was fast enough to stop it.

When Rock Lee burst into the office in a whirlwind of green energy he kept going, over Sai who had his face to the ground, right through the (closed) office door and into the opposite wall. His tailwind destroyed the room, flinging books and papers to the ceiling, opening or overturning drawers and cabinets; it folded Tsunade over her desk, while Jiraiya fumbled back a step or two, his white mane flinging about in the small hurricane.

"_Lee_!" Tsunade stood and slammed her hands down on the desk, the second to be cracked in half all too recently. "What on earth are you –?"

"Naruto-kun is dying!" Lee wrenched his foot from the wall, ignoring the pain from his twisted ankle. He'd endured worse. Once free, he launched for Tsunade, just as Jiraiya reached the middle of the word, "Where?"

"Uchiha cemetery!" he was a hundred meters from the tower by then, Tsunade in his arms. They met Gaara along the way, already heading back to the district.

"Kazeka –!"

"Go! I'll catch up!" Gaara called as Lee blew past, a green flash in the dark.

"You know where, Tsunade-sama?"

"Yeah!" Tsunade was already suffering windburn and one of her hair ties had come loose, that half of her hair wildly flung by the wind.

If Lee could have gone fast enough that her skin would be ripped off, Tsunade would have simply released her seal and told him to triple the pace.

But they were there before she noticed, and at that moment, a great dome barrier shattered.

* * *

**A/N: Massive praise to my magnificent beta for making things make sense in this wonderful ordeal. Hope you all enjoyed it. **

**Merry Christmas to all of you and see you all next time!**


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